Wide-range 7-switch Flying Capacitor Based DC-DC Converter for Point-of-load Applications

In this thesis a dc-dc converter referred to as the 7-switch flying capacitor (7SFC) based multi-level buck converter intended for point-of-load applications is presented. The 7SFC operates with the principle of “transformability” which allows it to run in several switching modes when paired with a digital controller. The mode is selected based on input and output conditions by estimating the highest efficiency mode. The 7SFC converter utilizes a flying capacitor, which for certain modes allows for a large reduction in switching losses, especially when the converter is operated with high-input voltages. Compared to the conventional 2-phase interleaved buck converter, the 7SFC is able to reduce the size of the output inductors and capacitor by 33%. The 7SFC discrete prototype is able to achieve efficiencies greater than 90% over the majority of the operating range.M.A.S.2017-11-30 00:00:0