UNIT 1

TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS | NETRONICS SOLUTIONS

HOT OPTICS, COOLING ELECTRONICS8
Dave Skinner. Texas Instruments Inc. dskinner@ti.com

Well designed thermo-electric cooler drivers conserve power and space in optical networking
equipment.

As the demand for higher bandwidth increases, optical networking system engineers face tougher and
tougher design constraints on the electrical side.

Optical amplifiers, such as Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and Raman amplifiers, must drive signals farther
and cleaner. Channel spacing is shrinking in dense- wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM)
applications, paving the way for more lasers in a rack. This requires more accurate temperature control
and smaller, more powerful drivers for the thermo-electric cooler (TEC) elements. The TEC driver solution
should increase the level of integration and improve system efficiency without sacrificing performance,
flexibility, or scalability. Fully integrated, high-efficiency pulse-width modulation (PWM) power drivers
address these concerns.
Like most semiconductors, laser diodes alter their behavior when their junction temperature changes.
Lifetime, efficiency, and emission wavelength all depend on the diode’s temperature. A laser diode’s
lifetime can shorten by 10% to 50% for every 20°C to 30°C increase in the operating temperature above
room temperature (25°C). A laser diode’s efficiency also decreases as the temperature rises. Perhaps
most significant is that the emission wavelength shifts with temperature. Depending on the diode, the
wavelength can vary from 0.1 to 1 nm per degree Celsius.
Depending on the application, you can measure the temperature of the diode or the wavelength of the light
that it produces. Most laser module manufacturers place a thermistor, a resistor whose resistance varies
with temperature, right next to the laser diode itself. The majority of thermistors used in these modules
have a negative temperature coefficient (NTC), so their resistance decreases as temperature increases.
Typical designs excite the thermistor either as part of a voltage divider or from a constant current source.
For example, an instrumentation amplifier may be used to measure that voltage and send it to the
temperature control circuit that will dictate how the TEC functions (Fig. 1).

-1-
__________________________________________________________________
8
Play on words: HOT (warm, but also important matter). COOLING (cold, but also great or interesting).
Temperature may be controlled with a simple integrator whose primary purpose is to eliminate steady-
state error. Because temperature itself is typically a slow- changing parameter, the time constant is usually
on the order of a second or two. Unfortunately, the integrator alone is slow and has a huge amount of gain
at its disposal, so you can end up with significant overshoot or “hunting.” The integration process may take
minutes, hours, or even years to settle, if ever.
With a little proportional gain
added to the integrator, and a
smaller time constant (on the
order of tenths to hundredths of
a second), the error is
significantly reduced before the
integrator portion starts hunting.
This proportional-
integral (PI) system can still
fig. 1 - This temperature control block diagram illustrates
how the TEC works in an application. take anywhere from a few
seconds to a few
minutes to reach equilibrium. To improve this settling time, you could add the derivative term to the mix.
But that makes the loop more complicated and potentially unstable.
The temperature control circuit’s output normally can’t drive the levels of current the TEC element
requires, so a current-gain stage is necessary. Just as with power supplies, the two most popular types of
current-gain stages are linear drivers and switching or PWM drivers.
The simplest implementation of a linear driver consists of two power transistors in a push-pull configuration
(Fig. 2a). Usually, the op amp alone can’t drive the level of current the TEC element needs. A linear driver
offers relatively low- noise operation, but it comes at the price of inefficiency.

fig. 2 - Shown is the basic push-pull linear driver and a PWM driver in an H-bridge
configuration. Note linear (a) versus switching (PWM) heat dissipation (b).
This inefficiency results from the power transistors acting as variable resistors between the power supply
and the load. Consider a TEC rated for maximums of 1 A and 2 V. The total power from a 5-V supply is 5
V × 1 A, or 5 W, while the TEC actually uses only 2 W. Therefore, the maximum efficiency is limited to
40%. The remaining 3 W are wasted as heat dissipated in the power transistor, which will likely need some
form of heat sink9—a bulky or costly addition.
To solve the heat problem, turn to a switching or PWM solution. Similar to a switch-mode power supply,
the transistors are driven into saturation, not the linear region, and are only on when they need to supply
current to the load. As a result, they’re from 85% to 90% efficient. The transistors are switched on and off
at a relatively high frequency, typically between 100 kHz and 1 MHz. The “on-off” time create a duty cycle
proportional to the desired output voltage.
An H-bridge configuration allows current to flow through the load in either direction from a single power
supply (Fig. 2b). If you want current to flow from left to right through the TEC element, Q1 and Q4 would
switch while Q2 and Q3 remain off. The switching waveform is filtered, normally with inductors and
capacitors as shown, to supply a near-dc output to the load. Therein lies the primary disadvantage of a
switching solution—the noise generated from the switching itself.
If the filter doesn’t sufficiently attenuate the switching signal, ripple will be present on the TEC element,
which may degrade its performance. Of even greater significance, though, is electromagnetic interference
(EMI) from the high-frequency switching.
To accomplish smaller size and greater efficiency requirements, an integrated solution must meet or
exceed the current and voltage specifications for the TEC element. The DRV591, for example, functions
just like an op amp with differential inputs. It may be used with any type of temperature control system.
After the filter, the differential output voltage measured across the TEC element is equal to the differential
input voltage multiplied by 2.34. So if you want 3 V across the TEC element, apply 1.28 V across the
inputs. If you want current flowing from OUT+ to OUT- to place the TEC in cooling mode, then IN+ should
be 1.28 V greater than IN-.
Typically, the voltage at IN- is held to the midrail using a small resistive voltage divider or an op amp
configured as a buffer. The voltage at IN+ is supplied from the temperature control circuitry or from a
digital-to-analog converter (DAC), either of which may also be operated from a single power supply.
In addition to the interface, designers must be able to select the switching frequency to accommodate
different system-level concerns. A higher switching frequency permits smaller inductors to be used in the
output filter, while the lower switching frequency provides for higher efficiency because the switching
losses will be lower. If EMI is a problem, a small surface mount ferrite bead (usually no larger than the filter
capacitors) may be placed in series with the TEC element to reduce the high-frequency components.

9
A heat sink (or heatsink) is an environment or object that absorbs and dissipates heat from another
object using thermal contact (either direct or radiant) [Wikipedia]
The driver must also include some protection circuitry. You don’t want your TEC element or driver to fail
and let your expensive laser diode destroy itself. If the TEC element draws too much current, as in a
short10 for example, a TTL overcurrent fault is sent from the DRV591 to the system monitor. The driver
powers off for a few microseconds, then immediately powers back up to try to drive the TEC element
again.
If an intermittent short caused the problem and it has disappeared, the DRV591 clears the fault and
resumes normal operation. But if the overcurrent condition is still present, the fault remains and the device
cycles its power again. Because the ambient temperature can range anywhere from -40°C to 85°C, the
driver should include some protection to prevent its own internal heating from indirectly damaging the
laser. The DRV591 sends out another fault flag to the system monitor if the silicon’s temperature reaches
about 130°C, just as an early-warning system. Once the silicon goes above 150°C, the device shuts itself
down, but it powers back up after the temperature has decreased.
However, the system can shut down the laser before the TEC driver shuts down. Controlling a laser
diode’s temperature isn’t a trivial task, especially considering the trend toward higher laser powers and
greater density of wavelengths. The system must be accurate, flexible, efficient, and small. For
applications requiring low current levels when board area and heat aren’t concerns, a linear driver solution
may be adequate for the TEC element. When low heat dissipation is a must, the high efficiency PWM
approach provides an excellent solution for the TEC driver.

Dave Skinner is responsible for product development and applications support for TEC driver products at
Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas.

THIS WEEK’S QUOTE: “I hear and I forget. I listen and I understand. I do and I remember.” – Chinese
proverb

THEORY: Grammar review: How to write a coherent text. Sections in a scientific article. The IMRAD
pattern and other structures. How to present bibliography, references and other sources. Special
summary techniques: Outline. Abstract (informative, descriptive, evaluative)11. The Index/Key
Words. Précis. Report. Developing skills.

RECOMMENDED SITES:
 Colorado State University Writing Guides: Writing Abstracts
(http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/abstract/index.cfm)
 English Grammar Guide (http://www.learnenglish.de/grammarpage.htm)
 Learn English On-line (LEO) network (http://www.learnenglish.de/)
 Simple Guide to Suffixes (http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/suffixtext.htm)
 TASKS
PARTE 1: HASTA LAS 10:30 am
1. Scan through the text and give out the gist of the article. How/Where within the text could you find it?

Variable temperature control of the laser diode controlled by PWM with NEGATIVE NTCs due to
temperature variation. We find it in telecommunications and fiber optic communication.

2. Work on your assigned glossary by adding new vocabulary from the text. By the end of this week you
should already have 20-30 terms.

thermo-electric cooler drivers : Controladores de enfriadores termoeléctricos

optical networking equipment : Equipo de red óptica
bandwidth : Banda ancha
Optical amplifiers : Amplificadores opticos
Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers : Amplificadores de fibra dopada con erbio
Semiconductors : Semiconductores
laser diodes : Diodos laser
wavelength of the light : longitud de onda de la luz
voltage divider : Divisor de voltaje
constant current source : fuente de corriente constante
circuit’s output : Salida del circuito
push-pull : Empujar tirar
power transistor : Transistor de potencia

3. Check with a dictionary the meaning of all the acronyms and abbreviations used in the text, and then
compile them in a list.
.
 dense- wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM)
 thermo-electric cooler (TEC)
 high-efficiency pulse-width modulation (PWM)
 electromagnetic interference (EMI)
 op amp
 PARTE 2: HASTA LAS 8.00 am mañana 21 octubre

4. Skimming & Scanning: In each paragraph, spot the term that mostly condenses the idea dealt with or
explained there.
Hojear y escanear: En cada párrafo, identifique el término que condensa en su mayor parte la idea
tratada o explicada allí.

5. Now, proceed to deliver the main ideas as developed in each paragraph (précis).
Ahora, proceda a presentar las ideas principales desarrolladas en cada párrafo (resumen).

6. Once provided with the extracted information above, work on and write down the text’s structure.
Una vez que tenga la información extraída arriba, trabaje y escriba la estructura del texto

7. Write a possible abstract (informative and/or evaluative) for this article.

Escribe un posible resumen (informativo y / o evaluativo) para este artículo.