Zero-current-transition PWM DC-DC converters using new zero-current-switching PWM switch cell

A new family of zero-current-switching (ZCS) pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) converters, which uses a new ZCS PWM switch cell, is presented. The main switch and auxiliary switch operate at zero-current-switching turn-on and turn-off, and the all passive semiconductor devices in the ZCS-PWM converter operate at zero-voltage-switching turn-on and turn-off. Besides operating at constant frequency and with reduced commutation losses, these new converters have no additional current stress in the main switch in comparison to the hard switching converter counterpart. The PWM switch model and state-space averaging approach is used to estimate and examine the steady-state and dynamic character of system. The new family of ZCS-PWM converters is suitable for high-power application using insulated gate bipolar transistors. The principle of operation, theoretical analysis and experimental results of the new ZCS-PWM boost converter, rated at 1kW and operating at 30 kHz, are provided to verify the performance of this new family of converters.