Advances in very large scale integration (VLSI) technologies impose challenges for voltage regulator modules (VRM) to deliver high-quality power to modern microprocessors. As an enabling technology, multiphase converters have become the standard practice in VRM industry. The primary objectives of this dissertation are to develop advanced topologies and innovative integrated magnetics for high-efficiency, high-power-density and fast-transient VRMs. The optimization of multiphase VRMs has also been addressed. Today's multiphase VRMs are almost universally based on the buck topology. With increased input voltage and decreased output voltage, the multiphase buck converter suffers from a very small duty cycle and cannot achieve a desirable efficiency. The multiphase tapped-inductor buck converter is one of the simplest topologies with a decent duty cycle. However, the leakage inductance of its tapped inductors causes a severe voltage spike problem. An improved topology, named the multiphase coupled-buck converter, is proposed. This innovative topology enables the use of a larger duty cycle with clamped device voltage and recovered leakage energy. Under the same transient responses, the multiphase coupled-buck converter has a significantly better efficiency than the multiphase buck converter. By integrating all the magnetic components into a single core, in which the windings are wound around the center leg and the air gaps are placed on the two outer legs, it is possible for multiphase VRMs to further improve efficiency and cut the size and cost. Unfortunately, this structure suffers from an undesirable core structure and huge leakage inductance. An improved integrated magnetic structure is proposed to overcome these limitations. All the windings are wound around the two outer legs and the air gap is placed on the center leg. The improved structure also features the flux ripple cancellation in the center leg and strongly reverse-coupled inductors. Both core loss and winding loss are reduced. The steady-state current ripples can be reduced without compromising the transient responses. The overall efficiency of the converter is improved. The input inductor can also be integrated in the improved integrated magnetic structure. Currently, selecting the appropriate number of channels for multiphase VRMs is still an empirical trial-and-error process. This dissertation proposes a methodology for determining the right number of channels for the optimal multiphase design. The problem formulation and general method for the optimization are proposed. Two examples are performed step by step to demonstrate the proposed optimization methodology. Both are focused on typical VRM 9.0 designs for the latest Pentium 4® microprocessors and their results are compared with the industry practice. / Ph. D.

The development and implementation of silicon carbine (SiC) devices is steadily increasing facilitating the electrification of aircrafts. In this thesis, a printed circuit board (PCB) based heavy copper busbar design and verification are introduced for a SiC based 250 kW multiphase drive system operated at 40,000 ft. Finite-element analysis (FEA) simulation studies of the PCB busbar are conducted to optimize the electric field intensity. Busbar modeling technic is also discussed to derive the current distribution and extract the loss. The measured partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV), switching transients and converter-level validations are provided for insulation, thermal and commutation loop verifications. As the part of the inverter system, the integrated gate driver is designed with SPI communication to drive the wide bandgap SiC power modules. With feature of drain-to-source current sensing feature, the gate driver could also provide over-current protection to fast-switching SiC power modules. The converter level verification is performed under single, dual, and quadruple three-phase inverter system for aviation motor drive to evaluate the overall performance of the powertrain converter. The outcomes of this research contribute to the advancement of electric aircraft technology by leveraging the benefits of SiC devices and optimizing busbar design, providing valuable insights and guidelines for engineers and researchers involved in the development and optimization of power electronic systems for all-electric aircraft applications. / Master of Science / This research focuses on the design and verification of PCB (Printed Circuit Board) busbars for a multiphase SiC-based all-electric aircraft powertrain converter. Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices, known for their high efficiency and fast-switching capabilities, are used in the converter to enhance its performance. The goal is to develop an optimized busbar design that ensures efficient power distribution and minimizes energy losses in this advanced aviation powertrain system. The study explores different aspects of busbar insulation design and analyzes busbar current distribution and loss extraction using simulation and modeling techniques. Additionally, gate driver design and communication network are investigated to drive and protect the wide bandgap SiC devices and to ensure the overall performance of the powertrain converter. The converter level verification is also performed under single, dual, and quadruple three-phase inverter system for aviation motor drive. The findings of this research contribute to the advancement of electric aircraft technology, utilizing SiC devices and optimized busbar design, and provide valuable insights for engineers and researchers working on power electronic systems for electric aircraft applications.

High step-down dc/dc converters are widely adopted in a variety of areas such as industrial, automotive, and telecommunication. The 48 V power delivery system becomes increasingly popular for powering high-current and low-voltage chips. The Series-Capacitor Buck (SCB) converter doubles the duty ratio and equalizes the current between the two phases. Hard switching has hindered efforts to reduce volume via increased switching frequency, although a monolithically integrated SCB converter has boosted current density. A Series-Resonator Buck (SRB) converter is realized by adding a resonant tank in series with the series capacitor Cs. All switches turn on at zero-voltage (ZVOn), and the low-side switches turn off at zero-current (ZCOff). The design of the SRB converter includes characterizing the design variables' impacts on the converter performances and designing low-loss resonant components as the series resonator. The Series-Resonator Buck converter belongs to the class of quasi-resonant converters. Its resonant frequency is higher than the switching frequency, and its waveforms are quasi-sinusoidal. This work develops a steady-state model of the SRB converter to calculate voltage gain, component peak voltages, and resonant inductor peak current. Each switching cycle is modeled based on the concept of generalized state-space averaging. The soft-switching condition of the high-side switches is derived. The ZVS condition depends on the normalized control variable and the load condition. The gain equation models the load-dependent characteristic and the peak gain boundary. The theoretical peak voltage gain of the SRB converter is smaller than the maximum gain of the SCB converter. A smaller normalized load condition results in a larger peak voltage gain of the SRB converter. The large-signal model of the SRB converter characterizes the low-frequency behavior of the low-pass filters with the series capacitor and the high-frequency behavior of the resonant elements. A design recommendation of t_off f_r<0.5 is suggested to avoid the oscillation between the series capacitor Cs and the output inductors Lo. In other words, the off-duration of the low-side switches is less than half of 1/fr, and therefore the negative damping effect from the parallel resonant tank to the vCs response is reduced. The transfer functions of the SRB converter are presented and compared with those of the SCB converter. The series resonator brings in an extra damping effect to the response of output capacitor voltage. The understanding of the analytical relationships among the resonant tank energy, voltage gain, and component stresses was utilized to guide the converter design of the converter's parameters. A normalized load condition at √2 minimizes the stresses of the series resonator by balancing the peak energy in the resonant elements Lr and Cr. The f_s variation with voltage gain M is less than 10%. The non-resonant components C_s, L_oa, and L_ob are designed according to the specified switching ripples. The ac winding loss complicates the winding design of a resonant inductor. This work replaces the rectangular window with a rhombic window to reduce the eddy current loss caused by the fringing effect. The window ratio k_y is added as a design variable. The impacts of the design variables on the inductance, core loss, and winding loss are discussed. The air-gap length l_g is designed to control the inductance. A larger k_y design results in a short inductor length l_c and a smaller winding loss. The disadvantages include a smaller energy density design and a larger core loss due to the smaller cross-sectional area. In the design example presented in the thesis, the presence of the rhombic shape increases the gap-to-winding distance by two times, and also reduces the y-component of the magnetic field by a factor of two. The total inductor loss is reduced by 56% compared to a conventional design with a rectangular winding window while keeping the same inductance and the same inductor volume. This dissertation implements a resonator, replacing the series capacitor, in an SCB converter. The resultant SRB converter shows a 30% reduction in loss and a 50% increase in power density. The root cause of the divergence issue is identified by modeling the negative damping effect caused by resonant elements. The presented transient design guideline clears the barriers to closed-loop regulation and commercialization of the SRB converter. This work also reshapes winding windows from rectangle to rhombus which is a low-cost change that reduces magnetic loss by half. The theoretical analysis and design procedures are demonstrated in a 200 W prototype with 7% peak efficiency increase compared to the commonly used 30 W commercial SCB product. / Doctor of Philosophy / High step-down dc/dc converters are widely adopted in a variety of areas such as industrial, automotive, and telecommunication areas. The 48 V power delivery system becomes increasingly popular for powering high-current and low-voltage chips. The Series-Capacitor Buck (SCB) converter doubles the duty ratio and equalizes the current between the two phases. Hard switching has hindered efforts to reduce volume via increased switching frequency although a monolithically integrated SCB converter has boosted current density. A Series-Resonator Buck (SRB) converter is realized by adding a resonant tank in series with the series capacitor Cs. All switches turn on at zero-voltage (ZVOn), and the low-side switches turn off at zero-current (ZCOff). The challenges to designing the SRB converter include characterizing the design variables' impacts on the converter performances and designing low-loss resonant components as the series resonator. The resultant SRB converter shows a 30% reduction in loss and a 50% increase in power density. The root cause of the divergence issue is identified by modeling the negative damping effect caused by the resonant elements. The presented transient design guideline clears the barriers of closed-loop regulation and commercialization of the SRB converter. This work also reshapes winding windows from rectangle to rhombus, which is a low-cost change that reduces magnetic loss by half. The theoretical analysis and design procedures are demonstrated in a 200 W prototype with 7% peak efficiency increase compared to the commonly used 30 W commercial SCB product.