Applications of power integrated circuits in switch-mode power supplies

Designers of switched-mode power supplies (SMPS) are constantly looking for ways to make their products lighter and smaller. The movement towards higher frequencies (100 kHz or above) is aimed at reducing the size of the magnetics and associated components and hence it little more than a design technique for reducing size. Likewise, the search for power integrated circuits in SMPS is mainly governed by a desire to reduce size, although the broader advantages of integration are often an additional attraction. The author considers firstly the use of power hybrids in SMPS and then looks briefly at monolithic structures. He concludes that in terms of future development, the power hybrid offers the most likely way forward for SMPSs of any size, with monolithic integration being developed to offer more complex control chips and larger power stages