Very high frequency switching cell-based power converter

[0144]Increasing the switching frequency of a switched-mode power supply (SMPS) is a goal that is widely sought after as a means to increase power density and improve transient performance. However, increasing switching frequency using conventional power converter topologies (boost, buck, flyback, etc.) results with significantly degraded efficiency. Additionally, as switching frequency is increased, power density only increases until an optimal switching frequency is reached, at which point power density begins to decrease again. A new power converter architecture is described herein that breaks the bounds of conventional techniques, enabling efficient high frequency operation while delivering increased power per converter volume.

[0145]Soft-switched resonant inverters have been developed for high efficiency radio-frequency (RF) transmitter applications. These techniques have been adapted to form efficient DC / DC converters at switching frequencies greater than 100 MHz. The basic stru