A 94% efficiency near-constant frequency self-oscillating class-D audio amplifier with voltage control resistor

A self-oscillating constant frequency class-D audio amplifier with voltage control resistor (VCR) technique is proposed for system-on-a-chip (SoC) applications. The VCR control circuit is used to ensure stable switching frequency over a wide range of the modulation index. The proposed method also improves the THD performance at high output power condition. The proposed self-oscillating class-D amplifier can have extremely good performance since the carrier distortion is avoided and the intrinsic harmonic can be attenuated by the second-order loop filter. The VCR control can dynamically adjust the switching frequency according to distinct modulation index. In addition, stable frequency operation can reduce the switching frequency at low output amplitude to improve power efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed class-D amplifier can delivers 1.4W to the 8Ω load with a 5V supply. The power efficiency is achieved over 95% and the output THD can be smaller than 0.001%.