A High-Frequency Resonant Inverter Topology With Low-Voltage Stress

Abstract

This paper presents a new switched-mode resonant inverter, which we term the 8 2 inverter, that is well suited to operation at very high frequencies and to rapid on/off control. Features of this inverter topology include low semiconductor voltage stress, small passive energy storage requirements, fast dynamic response, and good design flexibility. The structure and operation of the proposed topology are described, and a design procedure is introduced. Experimental results demonstrating the new topology are also presented. A prototype 8 2 inverter is described that switches at 30 MHz and provides over 500 W of radio frequency power at a drain efficiency above 92%. It is expected that the 8 2 inverter will find use as a building block in high-performance dc-dc converters among other applications. Index Terms-Class E inverter, class-F power amplifier, class 8 inverter, harmonic peaking, radio frequency inverter, very high frequency, VHF power converter.

Vacuum Testing of a Miniaturized Switch Mode Amplifier Powering an Electrothermal Plasma Micro-Thruster

“…The dotted red line square includes the parts (thruster and Converter) subsequently tested under WOMBAT vacuum (Figures 2, 3). switch mode amplifier concept has been described elsewhere [20,25,26]: briefly it converts dc into rf by switching the gate signal ("Gate drive" on Figure 1A) of a Metal-OxideSemiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) as in a Class E amplifier but has the ability to provide high efficiency, small footprint and reduced weight, key requirements for space use. System (2) is the reference laboratory radiofrequency set-up consisting of a custom-made miniaturized variable frequency solid-state matching network fed by a commercial (30-1,500 W MKS Spectrum) frequency adjustable (13.28-13.83 MHz) radiofrequency generator [16].…”

“…The power supply consists of a switch mode amplifier [20,21] and impedance matching network for optimum plasma ignition, tuning and control. MiniPR operation is facilitated by having plasma ignition directly achieved at the resonant frequency and a linear increase of pressure variation (i.e., plasma volumetric heating) with input power.…”

Topologies and Control Strategies of Very High Frequency Converters: A Survey

“…In the present researches, most of the VHF circuits are based on the single switch structure to avoid floating drive. Combining with different structures of VHF power amplifiers, Class E topology [50], [51] and Class Φ 2 topology [52]- [55] are used to constitute the inverter and rectifier stage. The following sections will introduce these three parts in detail.…”

A New Power Combining and Outphasing Modulation System for High-Efficiency Power Amplification

“…Each branch of the combiner includes parasitic series resistance for branch quality factors of Q = 150. Based on the author's experience with designs at similar power levels and frequencies [15,38], it is expected that the networks and component quality factors described above can be practically realized.…”