Novel 54-V to 12-V Buck Topology Eases Efficient Power Delivery In Data Centers

Focus:

To deliver power more efficiently in data centers, rack bus bar power distribution is moving from 12 V to 48 V (54 V nom.) to lower distribution losses. This requires developing new topologies to efficiently manage the conversion from the 54-V/48-V bus and “smoothly merge” with the current 12-V ecosystem. This article presents details of ST’s Stacked Buck topology (STB), which steps down 48 V to a regulated 12 V with high-efficiency and high-density. This article explains the principles of operation and guidelines for designing and customizing the STB for an application’s specific power needs. That includes stacking of cells, to accommodate lower voltage MOSFETs, or adding cells in parallel for higher current output, enabling it to deliver from 500 W up to 3.2 kW.

What you’ll learn:

• How to design a stacked buck converter for 48-V to 12-V applications at 500-W to 3200-W output power

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Author & Publication:

Paolo Sandri, STMicroelectronics, Santa Clara, Calif., How2Power Today, May 15 2020

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