Development and Evaluation of Isolated Class-Φ_2n DC-DC Converter

Abstract

We present a novel class-E switching method, and the design and fabrication of a class-Φ_2n DC-DC converter based on such a method. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed circuit, we compare the switching voltage waveforms of a class-Φ₂ converter and a class-Φ_2,4 converter, both constructed and validated for operation at 2.2MHz. The results confirm a 13.6% reduction in peak switching voltage for the class-Φ_2,4 converter with respect to the class-Φ₂ one, thereby proving the suitability of the former. Moreover, at 2.2MHz, the output power of the class-Φ_2,4 converter is 37.8W, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 83.6%. A comparative assessment against a hard-switching circuit based on frequency spectrum analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of soft-switching operation in the proposed circuit.