STMicroelectronics' TCPP03-M20 USB Type-C port protection IC is tailored for dual-function power (DRP) applications, simplifying the design of products that can act as a power source for connected devices as well as accept power from other USB devices - C Sources.
When used as a companion chip with STM32G0*, STM32G4, STM32L5, and STM32U5 microcontrollers that contain ST's UCPD (USB Type-C and Power Delivery) interface IP, the TCPP03-M20 enables economical partitioning of the USB Type-C implementation.
Product designers can achieve a two-chip solution with the STM32 as the host microcontroller, saving bill of materials costs, PCB space, and circuit complexity.
As defined in the USB Type-C specification, dual-purpose USB-C devices – such as a smart speaker, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or camera – have the ability to dynamically change their power function from sink to source, as well as Its USB data function from device to host (and vice versa). This enables new use cases to preserve and share power between battery-powered devices and expand device interoperability. The USB DRP capability defined in the Type-C specification allows any USB device with the internal ST chip to charge the battery of a connected device.
The TCPP03-M20 is built with ST's BCD process, recently accredited as IEEE Milestone, to combine logic and high voltage circuits on the same chip, improving integration and reliability. The technology allows ±8kV ESD protection (IEC61000-4-2 Level 4), overvoltage and overcurrent protection to be implemented on the same chip. They are required to protect against unintentional short circuits or connection of faulty equipment and comply with the USB-C Power Delivery specification.
The chip integrates switches for the VCONN and DC lines of the USB-C port, a charge pump with two N-channel MOSFET gate drivers for source and sink power path, VBUS and VCONN power path discharge circuitry, and management of discharged battery.
Optimized for ultra-low power consumption, the TCPP03-M20 is dedicated to the USB DRP use case to ensure optimal efficiency. Standalone power sink and power source applications are handled using ST's TCPP01-M12 and TCPP02-M18 BCD ICs, respectively. Like all of ST's TCPP products, the TCPP03-M20 supports the latest features of the USB-C PD 3.1 Standard Power Range (SPR) specification, including PPS (programmable power supply).
The STM32 Nucleo expansion board, X-NUCLEO-DRP1M1 and the X-CUBE-TCPP STM32Cube expansion software with application code examples, are available to start projects using the TCPP03-M20 for DRP applications up to 100W.
