Demystifying losses in switched capacitor converters (SCC)

Focus:

This 16-minute video explains the sources of power loss in switched-capacitor converters also known as charge pumps. It begins by explaining how switched-capacitor converters work in contrast to how switched-inductor converters work. The example used initially is the unity-gain inverter, but operation of the voltage doubler and the voltage-halving converter (Vout=Vin/2) are also explained, with brief discussion of other ratios of output-to-input voltage. The sources of loss are explained in detail including the inherent energy loss due to delta V, and the influence of switching frequency, capacitance values, RC constant, and ripple on losses. Also explained is the impact of closed-loop operation (for regulated output voltage) on losses. The presentation also explains terms such as equivalent resistance and target voltage and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of switched-capacitor converters.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand the sources of loss in switched-capacitor converters (a.k.a. charge pumps)

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Author & Publication:

Sam Ben -Yaakov, Ben-Gurion University, YouTube, Sep 27 2010

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