Cambridge, UK, 01/30/2025 – Power management IP is indispensable in modern chip design, especially for battery applications where power is constrained. This Agile Analog blog post explains why it is so important for chip design engineers.
The key components of power management IP
Power management IPs are specialized blocks or circuits that help to control the power consumption, voltage levels and energy efficiency of a system. The common components of power management IP include low drop-out (LDO) linear voltage regulators, voltage references and power-on-reset (POR) circuits, and can be combined into a dedicated power management unit (PMU) that contains all of the sub-blocks.
LDOs: These are typically used to provide a precise, low noise, regulated voltage level from a power source such as a battery. A minimal voltage drop (or drop-out voltage) could result from this. A drop-out of 200mV in a standard LDO is typically enough to filter the incoming supply for line and load regulation, producing a low noise and stable output voltage against power supply and load variations.
Voltage references: These are essential for the exact measurement and control of any analog circuit, including LDOs. Bandgap voltage references can give a constant known value over process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variation. A good power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) and low power consumption are necessary for a reliable reference voltage. The bandgap uses two voltages with opposing temperature coefficients (the base-emitter voltage and the voltage across a resistor) to provide a temperature independent reference.
Power-on-reset circuits: These are a crucial consideration for many ASIC/SoC designs as they are used to postpone the start-up of logic circuits until the power supply voltages have achieved the required level for valid logic states in the system. This means that during power-up or power-down sequences sensitive elements can be protected. As power management blocks do not normally work independently, in order to control the different power management blocks, a logic state machine can be added. This ensures the correct timing and sequencing of power supply bring-up and shut-down, as well as for the various low-power states.
The importance of power management IP
Power management IP is important as this IP:
Minimizes power consumption: Power efficiency is critical in battery-powered devices, such as wearables, to prolong battery life. Power management IP includes power mode switching, sleep modes and energy harvesting so the system uses minimal power when it is not active.
Ensures voltage regulation: Voltage fluctuations and power surges may result in system failures and vulnerabilities, but these IPs provide accurate voltage regulation, maintaining stability, as well as ensuring consistency across various load conditions and input voltages.
Increases thermal efficiency: High power consumption can lead to thermal issues that reduce the performance and reliability of components. Power management IP lowers overall power dissipation, which stops overheating and increases thermal efficiency.
Maintains signal integrity: Noise caused by power supply fluctuations can impact on the sensitive analog components, such as ADCs. High-quality power management IP blocks can deliver clean, low-noise power, which is needed for effective operation and signal integrity.
The future of power management IP
Power management IP is becoming even more popular as demand surges for energy-efficient and high-performance electronic devices. Agile Analog has a wide-range of customizable and multi-process power management IP, that provides functions such as voltage regulation, power-on-reset and thermal management. Our unique, digitally wrapped and fully verified IP can be integrated seamlessly by chip design engineers into any SoC, radically reducing complexity, time and costs.
Chris Morrison, VP Product Marketing, Agile Analog