How to Read a Datasheet

DAVID KRESS
Director of Technical Marketing

11/09/2016
Outline

► Purposes of a datasheet
► What info do you need today?
► Product selection
► Specifications and conditions
► Absolute maximum ratings
► Thermal analysis
► Theory of operation and applications
► Packages and pinouts
► Ways to find what you are looking for
► What’s not in a datasheet
Purposes of a Datasheet

► Product description
 Will this product fit my application
 Functions and specifications
► Owner’s manual
 How do I get the functions to work
 How do I plug it in
 Complex products, such as DSP, often have separate manual on
programming
► Idea generator
 What else can the product do
 What new applications can I build
► Warranty document
 What performance is guaranteed
 What voids the warranty
What Do I Need Today?

► Idea generator
 What else can the product do
 What new applications can I build
► Product Selection
 Will this product fit my application
 Functions and specifications
► Owner’s manual
 How do I get the functions to work
 How do I plug it in
 What else do I need
 Software
 Connecting products
 Documentation
Choosing a Product – the Progression

► General descriptions of product types

► Selection tables

► Product features on product page

► Product features on product page

Choosing a Product – the Progression

► General specs and

features look good
► Go to the datasheet
► Complete specs
► Detailed description
► Applications
Specifications

► Details of the product performance ► All important, measureable parameters

 Accuracy and speed
► What the company guarantees
 Timing
 Power requirements
Specifications – Definitions

► Many datasheets have a ‘Definitions’ or ‘Terminology’ section

► Most often found in specialized products

► Otherwise, search the Analog Devices Glossary

 https://wiki.analog.com/university/courses/electronics/text/glossary
Specifications – Models

► Models in a product family

 Different specifications, Different temperature ranges
 Different packages, Different shipping packages (reel, tray, tube, etc)
► Spec differences will have separate columns
Test Conditions – General and Specific

► General conditions at the top of specification page

► Applyto all specifications unless overridden in specific conditions of
each spec
 Power supplies
 Operating temperature -- usually 25C
 Input signal range
 Reference level, loading, gain setting, etc.
► Simple for op amps

► Complex for data converters and other products

Test Conditions – General and Specific

► Specific conditions shown at each spec line

► Describe conditions of testing and guarantees
► Typical performance charts show wider range of performance
Test conditions – General and Specific
Power Supplies get very specific

Parameter Symbol Min Typ Max Unit Test Conditions/Comments

Falling threshold, higher of VVIN and
Undervoltage lockout V
VBAT_SNS
Hysteresis, higher of VVIN and VBAT_SNS
Hysteresis 50 100 150 mV
rising1
Total Input Current ILIM 74 92 100 mA Nominal USB initialized current level
114 150 USB superspeed
USB enumerated current level
300
(specification for China)
425 470 500 USB enumerated current level
900 Dedicated charger input
1500 Dedicated wall charger
VINx Current Consumption IQVIN 2 mA Charging or LDO mode
IQVIN_DIS 280 450 µA DIS_IC1 = high, VISO_B < VINx < 5.5 V
Battery Current Consumption IQBATT 20 µA LDO mode, VISO_S > VBAT_SNS
Standby, includes ISO_Sx pin leakage,
5 µA
VVIN = 0 V, TJ = −40°C to +85°C
0.5 0.9 mA Standby, battery monitor active
Test Conditions – Notes

► Notes cited at bottom of page provide definitions, clarifications, and

additional conditions
► The fine print
Minimum / Maximum / Typical

► All specifications have a distribution of values

► If it says typical, it’s not tested often
 It was tested at release characterization
 Some units will be above, some below the spec
 Some distributions are loose, some tight
 Typical specs are screened by QA
► If it says minimum or maximum, it may not be tested 100%
 Specifications over temperature are guaranteed by characterization and
guardbanding
► Testing and specifications are driven by statistics
 All tests have noise with Gaussian distribution
 Guardbands are set to keep failure in low ppm range
Typical Performance Curves (TPCs)

► Typical performance curves show performance over the full operating

range
 More likely to cover your operating range of interest
 Characterization of a large number of parts
 Often difficult to test by users
► Often an important part of product selection
 Application may be non-standard, not at the center of specifications
 Datasheet authors attempt to anticipate most common use cases and
operating conditions
Typical Performance Curves (TPCs)
Absolute Maximum Ratings

► Section normally appears after Specifications

► Describes limits that will result in device damage
► Maximum voltages between pins
► Maximum currents into/out of pins
► Maximum temperatures for usage and storage
► Soldering and assembly conditions
Absolute Maximum Ratings – Recommendations

to do if it is certain part has exceeded Absolute Max – but still

► What
seems to work
 Performance has been compromised in hidden ways
 Replace the part if you are making critical performance measurements
 Don’t send evaluation equipment with such parts to customers
► Do not operate at power supplies near max ratings
 Power supply noise or transients can exceed max ratings
 Even brief exposure will damage insulation oxide and induce leakage
paths that will lead to failure or compromise performance
Absolute Maximum Ratings – Difficult Problems to See

► Sensitive input stages

 Low voltage input transistors have high gain and low noise
 Protection resistors small to minimize Johnson noise
 Differential input is limited by diodes to 0.6V, so large input voltage could
create large currents
 External resistors can limit current but increase errors
 Careful analysis to balance protection w/accuracy
Thermal Considerations

► All ICs have a maximum operating chip temperature

 Maximum Operating Junction Temperature
 Typically 125C to 150C
 Exceeding this temperature will cause high leakage currents and possible
permanent damage
► Junction temperature is the ambient temperature plus temperature
rise from self-heating
Self-Heating

► Self-heating is determined by the amount of power dissipated and the

thermal resistance
► Example:
 The chip is using 5mA from a 5V power supply
 5V x 5mA = 25mW = .025W
 Thermal resistance Ɵja= 115oC/W (TSSOP)
 .025W x 115oC/W = 2.88oC temperature rise
 (Not much)

► At high supplies, it gets worse, 30 volts at 10mA is 0.3W, for 34.5oC

rise (don’t touch)
Self-Heating

► Self-heating will lower the maximum ambient temperature at which

the part can be used
► This is shown in a derating chart
ESD Caution in Absolute Max Ratings

► ESD – Electrostatic Discharge – all datasheets

► Newer products have much better protection against ESD, especially
those with external connections
► ESD precautions are still important during prototyping and testing
► ESD failure may not be catastrophic – just compromises full
performance
Package Moisture Absorption

► Not typically shown on the datasheet

► Smallpackages can absorb water under leads if not stored in
controlled environment
► During
solder re-flow cycle at 300C, water between leads and
package will boil and crack package
► Products are baked out and stored in dry-pack shipping materials
► Units
have a time-period for exposure to open air prior to final
assembly
► Opened packages still containing product must be re-sealed within
time limit and re-dried
Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL)

► Not typically shown on the datasheet

► Found in Material Declaration
► Access through Price/package table
► MSL shown on packing materials
Theory of Operation

► Detailed description of how the part works and what it does

► Can help in complex product selection
 It might not perform your function the way you need it to be done
 ADC has high throughput but high latency – application requires immediate
return of data
► Definitely helps in setting up product
 May answer questions about why it does what it does
► May lead to new ideas and applications
Theory of Operation – Part 2

► Owners manual section

► Theory of operation moves to description of functions and setup
► Details of all aspects of product functions
► Every function is described
 Power supplies and grounding
 Signal handling and loading
 Interface
 Software support when applicable
Block Diagram and Simplified Schematic

► Schematic shows input and output stages and general structure

Block Diagram and Simplified Schematic

► Contains most of the functional information needed to make a

product choice
► Internal structure and interfaces
Pinout Diagram

► Shows where all the functions are connected

► Grounding
 If analog ground and digital ground are shown separately, don’t connect
pins to the wrong one
 Typically connect analog ground and digital ground at the power supplies
► No connect or NC pins
 When in doubt, don’t connect
 New standard -- DNC
 NC – not internally connected – best to ground for low noise performance
► Exposed thermal pad
 Check for connection point – may not be ground
 Solder to large copper pad for best thermal results
Pinout Descriptions

► Detailed description of each pin

► Notes on connections to the pin
Typical Applications

► Most common connections for the product

► Often shows test configuration for specs

Multiple Supplies Bipolar Input

Data Sheet Search Tools in Adobe Reader

► Open the search tools in the left column

► Clickon ‘Search’ to enter search terms to find topics in the
datasheet
Data Sheet Search Tools in Adobe Reader

► Many datasheets ‘Bookmark’ the table of contents

Data Sheet Search Tools in Adobe Reader

► Click on ‘Pages’ to get thumbnails of each for a quick search

Revision History

► Not provided by all manufacturers

► Analog Devices provides revision history on page 2 or last page on older
datasheets
► Lists date of publication of each revision
► Brief listing of items changed from previous version
► Spec changes also sent by PCN
Package Drawings – Outline Dimensions

Scale drawings of all packages available for the product

Package Drawings – Outline Dimensions

► Typically
at the end of the datasheet
► What you need is the footprint of the package
 Available for every product and package
 Supports multiple PCB layout packages using Ultra Librarian and BXL files
 ORCAD, PCAD, PowerPCB, Eagle, BoardStation, AutoCAD, etc
► Accessible from web site
► Product page
► Includes schematic
► Layout diagrams
Ordering Guide

► Typically on the last printed page of a datasheet

► Lists all models available for sale with complete ordering number
► Includes temperature range, package type, primary specifications
► Product page on web site shows same models with pricing and availability
► Branding codes shown for small packages

►
Evaluation Boards

► Nearly all products have an evaluation board available to permit quick,

accurate testing of a product in various operating modes
► Operation of most evaluation boards is detailed in a separate datasheet or
user guide
► Layout of the board optimizes product performance
► Gerber files of most boards are available
► Layouts and BoMs are shown on datasheets or user guides

►
What’s Not in a Datasheet

► Pricing
 Pricing is volatile, depends on territory and volume
 Ordering guide lists available models
► Inventory

► Moisture sensitivity level

► Quality and reliability
► Evaluation board operation
 Separate datasheet
► Most current tech support information
 Check the website – areas like ADI’s EngineerZone
http://ez.analog.com
Other Useful Information

► Datasheets will typically will have spare pages at the end. They are
created in page groups of 4 because of print formatting.
► Old revisions of datasheets can be found, but they are not readily
available
► Software shown on datasheets is generally available as a download
Alternate Sources of Information

► Website
 Product page
 Similar products
 Pricing
 Package detail information – materials
 Application notes and technical articles
 More details on specific applications
 Circuits from the Lab
 Quality and reliability
 Simulation models
 SPICE
 IBIS
 EngineerZone
 Technical support
New Links Page on Datasheets

► Links page on datasheet

Thank You For Watching!

View Additional Webcasts at

www.analog.com/Webcasts

Ask Questions on EngineerZone

ez.analog.com/Webcasts

Order ADI Products on Mouser

www.mouser.com/Analog-Devices