The main aim of the project is to develop digitally controlled DC-DC converters for distributed power systems (DPS). The steady reduction of supply voltages (down to the Volt range), along with the steep increase of load currents (from 80 A to 190 A for microprocessors) and the quest for higher efficiency, demand for high-performance modular power supply systems. Digital architectures outperform traditional analog ones in a market that requires increasingly complex and reconfigurable controllers, sophisticated power management strategies, low costs and short time-to-market.
The research activities include:

• design of novel fully digital and mixed-signal control architectures;
• design of high-efficiency converter topologies;
• design of integrated converters in mixed technology (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCDVI)).

Research activity is carried out in collaboration with ST Microelectronics (Agrate and Castelletto) and the Universities of Udine and Padova. The monolithic integration of a digital controller for a six-phase buck converter in BCD VI technology is almost completed. This controller will be compatible with a “PMbus” communication protocol. At the same time we are developing a flexible digital platform including a DSP core and a DPWM converter, which can be easily configured for the control of different types of converters (symmetric Half bridge, Phase shift full bridge etc.).