Extended Power Dynamic Range and Enhanced Power Conversion Efficiency of a Switched-Capacitor DC-DC Converter: A Tutorial

• Main Authors: Ho, Tian Siang, Ramiah, Harikrishnan, Churchill, Kishore Kumar Pakkirisami, Chen, Yong, Mak, Pui-In, Martins, Rui P.
• Format: Article
• Published: IEEE-Inst Electrical Electronics Engineers Inc 2024
• Subjects: TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/45508/; https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSII.2023.3324711

This tutorial brief presents a concise overview of integrated switched-capacitor (SC) DC-DC converter topologies for miniaturized energy harvesting (EH) IoT systems aiming for extended power dynamic range (PDR) and enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE). This tutorial initiates by delving into the intricate SC conversion methodologies tailored for energy harvesting (EH) applications, including i) fine-grained conversion ratio (CR) tuning, ii) multiphase soft charging, and iii) clock frequency and amplitude scaling. Next, mathematical analysis is conducted along with an established model to correlate the prevailing dominant loss and its impact on the PCE and the PDR, aiming to provide designers with a guideline for different design parameter choices for the triode/subthreshold domain.