Design and Fabrication of High Efficiency ZVT Boost Converter for Power Amplifiers

Abstract

This paper describes the detailed design of High Efficiency DC-DC ZVT Boost converter with 115 W output power. This can be used as a preregulator to any half bridge or full bridge SMPS designed for power amplifiers. The converter consists of current mode control. The operation of this converter is carried out at high switching frequency. This high switching frequency is necessary to reduce size and weight of DC-DC converter. However this yields high switching losses consequently low efficiency in hard switching. ZVS quasiresonant converters which are designed to reduce switching losses, but the reduction of switching losses in these converters results in conduction losses by increase in voltage and current stress of switches. So zero voltage transition technique in boost converter is opted here, which gives minimum semiconductor stress and low losses. In order to increase the efficiency of the power supply and reduce un-acceptable switching losses in the power devices, this zero voltage transition boost converter can be used as a preregulator to any SMPS. This paper briefly touches upon the design steps, detailed derivations of design equations, observed waveforms and efficiency results for ZVT boost converter. This High efficiency Converter can also be used for firing Gallium Arsenide FETs of Solid state power amplifiers used in space applications.