Patent ID: 8917070

Claim:
A method for adjusting stability of a low drop-out (LDO)/load switch linear voltage regulator (LVR) having an open loop transfer function, comprising: determining, during a power-up phase and by a capacitance sensing circuit, an estimated output capacitance value at an output node of the LDO/load switch LVR; and adjusting, based on the estimated output capacitance value, an adaptive RC network in the LDO/load switch LVR, wherein the adaptive RC network produces an adaptive zero in a feedback network transfer function of the LDO/load switch LVR, and wherein the adaptive zero reduces an effect of a non-dominant pole of the open loop transfer function of the LDO/load switch LVR, maintaining the LDO/load switch LVR in an off state while the estimated output capacitance value is being determined and while the adaptive RC network is being adjusted; and wherein adjusting the adaptive RC network determines a frequency of the adaptive zero to reduce phase margin degradation due to the non-dominant pole of the open loop transfer function of the LDO/load switch LVR, and wherein the LDO/load switch LVR remains stable over a plurality of capacitive load conditions ranging from no capacitive load to a 10 μF load.