DC–DC converters with voltage boost capability are widely used in a large number of power conversion applications, from fraction-of-volt to tens of thousands of volts at power levels from milliwatts to megawatts. The literature has reported on various voltage-boosting techniques, in which fundamental energy storing elements (inductors and capacitors) and/or transformers in conjunction with switch(es) and diode(s) are utilized in the circuit. These techniques include switched capacitor (charge pump), voltage multiplier, switched inductor/voltage lift, magnetic coupling, and multistage/-level, and each has its own merits and demerits depending on application, in terms of cost, complexity, power density, reliability, and efficiency. To meet the growing demand for such applications, new power converter topologies that use the above voltage-boosting techniques, as well as some active and passive components, are continuously being proposed. The permutations and combinations of the various voltage-boosting techniques with additional components in a circuit allow for numerous new topologies and configurations, which are often confusing and difficult to follow. Therefore, to present a clear picture on the general law and framework of the development of next-generation step-up dc–dc converters, this paper aims to comprehensively review and classify various step-up dc–dc converters based on their characteristics and voltage-boosting techniques. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of these voltage-boosting techniques and associated converters are discussed in detail. Finally, broad applications of dc–dc converters are presented and summarized with comparative study of different voltage-boosting techniques.

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Step-Up DC–DC Converters: A Comprehensive Review of Voltage-Boosting Techniques, Topologies, and Applications

A new family of a single-switch three-diode dc-dc pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) converters operating at constant frequency and constant duty cycle is presented in this paper. The proposed converters are different from the conventional dc-dc step-up converters, and they posses higher voltage gain with small output voltage ripples. Other advantages of the proposed converters include lower voltage stress on the semiconductor devices, simple structure, and control. Moreover, the reduced voltage stress on the diodes allows using Schottky diodes for alleviating the reverse-recovery current problem, as well as decreasing the switching and conduction losses. The principle of operation, theoretical analysis, and experimental results of one prototype rated 40 W and operating at 94 kHz are provided in this paper to verify the performance of this new family of converters.

A Family of Single-Switch PWM Converters With High Step-Up Conversion Ratio

One of the main orientations in power electronics in the last decade has been the development of switching-mode converters without inductors and transformers. Light weight, small size and high power density are the result of using only switches and capacitors in the power stage of these converters. Thus, they serve as ideal power supplies for mobile electronic systems (e.g. cellular phones, personal digital assistants, and so forth). Switched-capacitor (SC) converters, with their large voltage conversion ratio, promise to be a response to such challenges of the 21st century as high-efficiency converters with low EMI emissions and the ability to realize steep step-down of the voltage (to 3 V or even a smaller supply voltage for integrated circuits) or steep step-up of the voltage for automotive industry or Internet services in the telecom industry. This paper is a tutorial of the main results in SC-converter research and design.

Switched-capacitor power electronics circuits

A novel organization of switched capacitor charge pump circuits based on voltage doubler structures is presented in this paper. Each voltage doubler takes a dc input and outputs a doubled dc voltage. By cascading n voltage doublers the output voltage increases up to 2/sup n/ times. A two-phase voltage doubler and a multiphase voltage doubler (MPVD) structures are discussed and design considerations are presented. A simulator working in the Q-V realm was used for simplified circuit level simulation. In order to evaluate the power delivered by a charge pump, a resistive load is attached to the output of the charge pump and an equivalent capacitance is evaluated. A comparison of the voltage doubler circuits with Dickson charge pump and Makowski's voltage multiplier is presented in terms of the area requirements, the voltage gain, and the power level. This paper also identifies optimum loading conditions for different configurations of the charge pumps. Design guidelines for the desired voltage and power levels are discussed. A two-stage MPVD was fabricated using MOSIS 2.0-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. It was designed with internal frequency regulation to reduce power consumption under no load condition.

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A DC-DC charge pump design based on voltage doublers

Switched-capacitor technology is widely used in low power dc-dc converter, especially in power management of the integrated circuit. These circuits have a limitation: high pulse currents will occur at the switching transients, which will reduce the efficiency and cause electromagnetic interference problems. This makes it difficult to use this technology in high-power-level conversion. This paper presents a new design method for dc-dc converter with switched-capacitorldquo technology. The new method can reduce the high pulse current which usually causes serious problem in traditional converters. Therefore, the power level of this new designed converter can be extended to 1 kW or even higher. A 1-kW 42/14-V switched-capacitor converter was designed for 42-V automotive system. The proposed converter has no requirement for magnetic components and can achieve a peak efficiency of 98% and 96 % at full load. The main circuit of the dc-dc converter is analyzed and its control scheme is presented in the paper. The experimental results verified the analysis and demonstrate the advantages.

A New Design Method for High-Power High-Efficiency Switched-Capacitor DC–DC Converters

A formal study of the theoretical performance of switched-capacitor (SC) dc-dc voltage multiplier circuits is given. A question concerning the necessary number of circuit elements to realize a given conversion ratio is addressed. In response to the question the bound on attainable voltage ratio for a given number of capacitors k and the bound on the number of switches required in any circuit configuration have been established. The maximum step-up or step-down ratio is given by the kth Fibonacci number, while the bound on the number of switches required in any SC circuit is 3k-2. The complete set of attainable DC conversion ratios is found. A canonical circuit realization of the maximum voltage ratio is discussed and illustrative examples are included. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the realizability of a dc conversion ratio are determined and formal proofs are given.

M. S. Makowski

Papers

Realizability conditions and bounds on synthesis of switched-capacitor DC-DC voltage multiplier circuits

Realizability conditions and bounds on synthesis of switched-capacitor DC-DC voltage multiplier circuits