Embedded Reconfigurable Augmented DC-DC Boost Converter for Fast Transient Recovery

A DC-DC boost converter is widely used for power management applications. However, the right-half-plane zero effect still remains a bottleneck for fast transient recovery. This paper is intended to propose an embedded reconfigurable boost converter solution with ultra-fast transient recovery through near-lossless augmentation. This augmentation branch requires an extra synchronous phase in parallel, comprising a small inductor and a half-bridge switch cell. This branch is activated only during large-signal transient recovery. The original converter topology is restored for steady state operations, thereby improving the overall efficiency. A prototype augmented boost converter is tested, and the proposed controller is implemented using an FPGA device. The extra branch closely nullifies current and voltage overshoot/undershoots. It is also expected to have almost no impact on efficiency.