Silent Switcher® Technology

Analog Devices’ Silent Switcher® technology is the greatest development in power supplies since the switch-mode power supply itself. This noise-cancelling technology improves EMI performance in many noise-sensitive applications and increases system performance in efficiency, output ripple, and reduces total solution size. ADI’s pioneering design community continues to develop Silent Switcher technology, driving to even lower system noise levels that benefit a continuously expanding range of applications.

Silent Switcher regulators provide new levels of performance with the combination of high efficiency (up to 96%) and low noise performance, without compromising on size or requiring excessive external components. The Silent Switcher architecture uses proprietary design and packaging techniques to maximize efficiency at very high frequencies and enable ultralow EMI performance, easily passing the CISPR 25 Class 5 peak EMI limits by using highly compact and robust designs.

With support for input voltages as high as 65 V, load currents up to 30 A, and high step-down ratios due to low minimum on times, there’s a Silent Switcher solution suitable for most applications including industrial, instrumentation and measurement, healthcare, aerospace, communications, automotive, energy, data center, and more.

Technology Benefits

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Silent Switcher Technology

  • Low EMI
  • High efficiency
  • High switching frequency

All 3, NO TRADE-OFFS!

Silent Switcher 2 Technology

  • Includes all the features of Silent Switcher technology PLUS:
  • Integrated precision capacitors
  • Smaller solution size
  • Simplifies PCB layout

Silent Switcher 3 Technology

  • Includes all the features of Silent Switcher technology PLUS:
  • Ultralow LF noise (10 Hz to 100 kHz)
  • Ultrafast transient response

Key Products

LT8640A Chip

LT8640A

Silent Switcher 1 Technology

42V, 5A/8A Peak Synchronous Step-Down Silent Switcher with 2.5μA Quiescent Current

Image of the LT8652S Silent Switcher 2 Technology chip.

LT8652S

Silent Switcher 2 Technology

Dual-Channel 8.5 A, 18 V, Synchronous Step-Down Silent Switcher Regulator with 16 µA Quiescent Current

LT8625S Chip

LT8625S

Silent Switcher 3 Technology

18V/8A Step-Down Silent Switcher 3 with Ultralow Noise

Find the latest products in the Silent Switcher family.

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Markets and Applications

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Industrial

Programmable logic controllers, distributed control systems, sensors, and other industrial applications need power supplies that provide precise measurements, reliable communication, and smooth operations. Silent Switcher regulators ensure maximum efficiency to extend operating time and reduce heat dissipation.

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Instrumentation and Measurement

Silent Switcher technology offers unique performance, design, and packaging techniques that result in the low noise precision necessary for communications test equipment, oscilloscopes, signal analyzers, chemical analysis, battery testing, and automated test equipment.

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Communications

Silent Switcher technology’s ability to pass noise immunity standards and ensure smooth operation benefits communications applications such as 5G networks and wireless infrastructure. The low noise performance allows Silent Switcher regulators to sit closer to the point of load, even eliminating linear regulators in sensitive transmit and receive applications.

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Automotive

Whether it’s autonomous driving, cabin electronics, MEMS safety and security, EV and HEV powertrain, or automotive power management, the Silent Switcher regulator’s low noise emission minimizes interference among different systems, essential for ensuring compliance with automotive regulations, such as the CISPR 25.

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Healthcare

In healthcare applications such as portable ultrasound equipment, X-ray, CT imaging, and diagnostic and vital signs measurement systems, Silent Switcher technology helps to maximize image quality and reduce power consumption.

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Intelligent Buildings

ADI helps customers innovate smart building and city solutions delivering secure and intelligent sensing, localized decision making, and power efficiency. With Silent Switcher technology, switch-mode power supply designs can be simplified and guaranteed to pass noise immunity standards for key noise sensitive applications such as surveillance, people counting, environmental monitoring, and energy management.

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Aerospace and Defense

ADI’s comprehensive Silent Switcher portfolio and custom development provide ultralow noise solutions for a wide range of commercial and defense radar, avionic, communication, and control systems.

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Data Center

ADI solutions apply to data centers of all scales, from the edge to hyperscale. Silent Switcher technology, combined with digital power system management (PMBus®), improves a noisy data center infrastructure while meeting stringent energy efficiency requirements.

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Energy

Metering, energy monitoring, energy storage, and power conversion all require precise, low noise measurements to ensure consistent, safe, and optimal power grid operation. Silent Switcher technology drastically improves noisy power supplies while reducing overall solution size and cost.

Reference Designs

Power Management Tools

LTspice® is a high performance SPICE simulation software, schematic capture and waveform viewer with enhancements and models for easing the simulation of analog circuits. Included in the download of LTspice are macromodels for a majority of Analog Devices switching regulators, amplifiers, as well as a library of devices for general circuit simulation.
LTpowerPlay® is a powerful development environment supporting the Power System Management (PSM) products of Analog Devices, including PMBus Power System Managers and DC/DC Power Converters with PSM. The software supports a variety of different tasks, including an offline mode (with no hardware present) in order to build a multi-chip configuration file that can be saved and reloaded at a later time.
The LTpowerCAD® design tool is a complete power supply design tool program that can significantly ease the tasks of power supply design and provides recommendations for component values and performance estimates specific to the user’s application with the μModule and monolithic DC/DC regulator products of Analog Devices. This guides the user through the entire design process reducing design effort and speeding up design time.

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