A Resonant Switched-Capacitor Converter with GaN Transistors for High-Efficiency Power Delivery to Series-Stacked Processors

Andrew Stillwell, Robert C.N. Pilawa-Podgurski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The series-stacked architecture provides a method to increase power delivery efficiency to multiple processors by leveraging the inherent voltage step-down properties of series-connected elements. With a series stack, differential power processing (DPP) is needed to ensure that processor voltages remain within design limits, as the individual loads vary. This paper demonstrates a switched-capacitor (SC) converter to balance a stack of four ARM Cortex-A8-based embedded computers. We investigate hard-switched and resonant modes of operation in a ladder SC DPP converter implemented with GaN transistors. Operation within supply limits of each embedded computer is demonstrated in a four-series-stack configuration with realistic computational workloads. Moreover, we demonstrate hot-swapping of individual computers with maintained voltage regulation at all nodes. A peak stack power delivery of 99% is experimentally measured, and DPP switching frequencies from 200 kHz to 2 MHz are demonstrated.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number8718626
Pages (from-to)3139-3150
Number of pages12
JournalIEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2020

Keywords

  • DC-DC power converters
  • differential power processing (DPP)
  • digital control
  • resonant power converters
  • switched capacitor (SC) circuits

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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