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A hybrid piezoelectric resonator-based DC-DC converter
Jae-Young Ko1, Wen-Chin B Liu1, Patrick P Mercier2
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
This study introduces a novel piezoelectric resonator DC-DC converter using flying capacitors. This design significantly improves efficiency and output current for high voltage conversion ratios.
Area of Science:
- Electrical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Piezoelectric resonators offer advantages over magnetics in DC-DC converters.
- Baseline designs face efficiency limitations at high voltage conversion ratios due to charge utilization issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an improved piezoelectric resonator DC-DC converter architecture.
- To enhance efficiency and current handling capabilities at high voltage conversion ratios.
Main Methods:
- Introduced an Always-Multi-Path Embedded Flying Capacitor Piezoelectric Resonator topology.
- Integrated flying capacitors to enable multi-path power delivery and reduce internal losses.
- Modified the piezo network conversion ratio and added a switched-capacitor output network.
Main Results:
- Achieved a net optimal voltage conversion ratio of 9:1.
- Demonstrated a 4x improvement in output current capability.
- Attained a peak efficiency of 96.2% at a 48-to-4.8 V conversion ratio.
Conclusions:
- The proposed converter design overcomes limitations of previous piezoelectric resonator-based DC-DC converters.
- This advancement enables higher efficiency and current handling for demanding power conversion applications.
- Fabrication in a 180nm high-voltage CMOS process demonstrates practical feasibility.
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