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General >> Tech Talk >> High speed DC-DC converter
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Message started by rajdeep on Sep 21^st, 2010, 8:40am

Title: High speed DC-DC converter
Post by rajdeep on Sep 21^st, 2010, 8:40am

Hi all,

How much faster the DC-DC converters need to be in todays battery powered devices?
(5-6MHz switchers are commercially used in cell phones, that I know of)
I can think of the following:
1. There is ongoing work on integrating the inductor on the same die to reduce board-space, and to go for smaller L value. Smaller L => higher frequency of DC-DC converter.

2. Some of the processors (got it from a paper) need step down from 12V-->1V and that
can happen very quickly. They need fast and responsive dc-dc convs.

3. But arbitrarily frequency cannot be increased as there is limitation to Si. Alternatively,
GaN can be used? Still in the research arena I guess..

My other question is: If we go for using GaN switches in place of Si, given the high-speed achievable with GaN can we go for more aggressive/new architecture/design of the control-loop, which will be still in Si?

Thanks,
Rajdeep