A Low-Power Fully-Mosfet Voltage Reference Generator for 90 nm CMOS Technology

An integrated voltage reference generator, designed for being incorporated in standard 90-nm CMOS technology flash memories, is described in this paper. A fully MOSFET based approach, using also subthreshold operated devices, has been adopted in order to achieve low-voltage and low-power requirements and to overcome the difficulties of conventional band-gap reference circuits. The proposed circuit, based on current signals, internally generates two currents with opposite dependence on temperature. The two currents are added, thus canceling almost completely temperature dependence, and then linearly converted into the output voltage. For a temperature variation between -20degC and 90degC, th…

Fabrication of Electrical Contacts on Pyramid-Shaped NTD-Ge Microcalorimeters Using Free-Standing Shadow Masks

In our effort to fabricate arrays of germanium microcalorimeters for X-ray detection, a truncated square-based pyramid shape has been identified as a suitable geometry for the sensors. It allows to obtain a uniform current spreading across each sensor, and represents a good compromise between having a large support area for the radiation absorber and for maintaining an overall small bolometer volume. This three-dimensional geometry, however, does not allow to create the electrical contacts for the sensors using a regular photoresist-based lift-off metallization process. In this paper we show how to deposit metal contacts on the lateral faces of the pyramidal sensors by metal evaporation thr…

Fabrication of Diffractive Optics: Surface Reliefs and Artificial Dielectrics

After a period of fundamental theoretical research, the field of diffractive optics is now reaching a time of assessment, when we can define the useful limits of each design procedure. Selecting a suitable procedure derives from a compromise between several factors, including design time, desired optical efficiency, and precision. A major consideration in finding such a compromise has been, and still is today, the availability of technologies which can realize the design by generating the diffracting structure with assigned tolerances.

Chalcogenide thin films for direct resistors fabrication and trimming

Abstract The fabrication of thin film resistors based on Ge–Sb–Te chalcogenide alloys is proposed. By exploiting the phase change properties of the deposited film, a laser beam is used for inducing a transition from high to low resistivity along selected paths. Conductivity changes as high as four orders of magnitude can be routinely achieved. This candidates the technique for maskless fabrication of compact precision resistors for a variety of applications.

A low-power fully-MOSFET voltage reference generator for 90nm CMOS technology

Decoupled Control Scheme of Grid-Connected Split-Source Inverters

During the last few years, single-stage power conversion systems has undergone a fast evolution to replace the conventional two-stage architecture, which includes a front-end dc-dc boost converter (BC) and an output voltage source inverter (VSI) [1]. This evolution has grown up to improve the overall system performance in terms of reducing its size, weight, and complexity. Most of these single-stage topologies and their different modulation schemes have been reviewed in [1]. Among these different single-stage options, the split-source inverter (SSI), shown in Figure 1, has been recently proposed in [2] as a single-stage dc-ac power converter topology to overcome some demerits in the other s…

Active shape correction of a thin glass/plastic x-ray mirror

Optics for future X-ray telescopes will be characterized by very large aperture and focal length, and will be made of lightweight materials like glass or plastic in order to keep the total mass within acceptable limits. Optics based on thin slumped glass foils are currently in use in the NuSTAR telescope and are being developed at various institutes like INAF/OAB, aiming at improving the angular resolution to a few arcsec HEW. Another possibility would be the use of thin plastic foils, being developed at SAO and the Palermo University. Even if relevant progresses in the achieved angular resolution were recently made, a viable possibility to further improve the mirror figure would be the app…

Planar Array Technology for the Fabrication of Germanium X-Ray Microcalorimeters

Several technologies are presently competing for measuring the temperature increase in cryogenic micro-calorimeters used as high resolution energy-dispersive X-ray detectors. Doped germanium, whose resistivity depends on temperature, is a promising material for this purpose, because of its comparatively low specific heat and the possibility of making wafers with high doping uniformity by neutron transmutation. Presently, Ge-based microcalorimeters are still micro-machined and manually assembled. Here we present a planar approach to the fabrication of 2-D arrays of microcalorimeters and show the preliminary technological results.

Blue-violet heterojunction LEDs based on hydrothermally synthesized ZnO nanorods

Zinc oxide nanorods have great potential for the realization of high efficiency heterostructure LEDs based on p-doped GaN. Well-aligned vertical nanorods are desirable to enhance the LED outcoupling performances due to a better confinement of the light [1]. However, due to the lack of reproducible p-type ZnO, a p-GaN substrate is still needed. This work reports on the fabrication of n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction LEDs based on vertical ZnO nanorods grown by hydrothermal method. The chemical reaction in the hydrothermal growth of ZnO is based on the decomposition of zinc nitrate, (Zn(NO3)2) with resulting Zn2+ ions reacting with the hydroxyl ions obtained by the thermal degradation of hexamethyl…

GaN and SiC Device Characterization by a Dedicated Embedded Measurement System

This work proposes a comparison among GaN and SiC device main parameters measured with a dedicated and low-cost embedded system, employing an STM32 microcontroller designed to the purpose. The system has the advantage to avoid the use of expensive laboratory measurement equipment to test the devices, allowing to obtain their behavior in operating conditions. The following KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are measured and critically compared: threshold voltage, on-resistance and input capacitance. All the measurements are carried out in a short time interval and on a wide range of switching frequencies, ranging from 10 kHz to 1 MHz. This investigation is focused on the deviation of the figu…

Decoupled control scheme of grid-connected split-source inverters

Grid-connected power conversion systems for renewable energy sources must fulfill several requirements, e.g., the high efficiency, the reduced cost and complexity, and, quite often, the boost capabilities that is usually achieved using a front-end dc–dc boost converter before the inversion stage, leading to a two-stage architecture. Meanwhile, single-stage power conversion systems, which perform the boosting operation within the inversion one, offer some potential advantages, in terms of reducing the complexity and the volume of the whole system. Among several proposed options, the split-source inverter (SSI) has been recently proposed by Abdelhakim et al. as an alternative option with some…

A fully MOSFET-based voltage reference for low-power low-voltage integrated circuits

Non-Linear Inductor Models Comparison for Switched-Mode Power Supplies Applications

The use of non-linear power inductors, intended as devices exploited up to a current at which the inductance is halved, is of great interest in switched-mode power supplies (SMPSs). Indeed, it allows the use of lighter and cheaper inductors improving the power density. On the other hand, the analysis of SMPSs equipped with non-linear inductors requires appropriate modeling of the inductor reproducing the inductance versus current. This paper compares two main analytical models proposed in the literature: the former is based on a polynomial, and the latter exploits the arctangent function to reproduce the non-linearity of the inductance. Performance is compared by considering the effort of r…

Non-linear inductor modelling for a DC/DC buck converter

The paper is focused on the modelling of an inductor to exploit its non-linear behaviour in the roll-off region when it is employed in a DC/DC converter. The model is set up on the basis of experimental data measured in operating conditions, which are fitted to a polynomial curve describing the inductance variations. The analysis of the buck converter, performed by including the proposed model, is validated by experimental tests.

Fabrication and characterization of microscale HfO2-based Memristors

Memristors are metal/insulator/metal devices whose resistance can be switched between two different states (i.e. the low resistive state LRS, and the high resistive state, HRS) by applying a proper voltage value over the two metal contacts [1], [2]. Their simple structure makes memristors prone to extreme down scaling and 3-D stacking potentiality, and excellent compatibility with the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Moreover, because of their low power consumption and high speed, memristors are rightly considered the elemental bricks for a next generation of high-density nonvolatile memories. HfO2 has attracted much attention as an oxide material for memristor app…

Characterization of Non-linear Inductors Including Thermal Effects for Power Applications

This paper is focused on the behaviour of non-linear inductors employed in DC/DC switching converters considering the effects due to variations of both current and temperature. The characterization of the inductors is performed by a buck converter operated to stimulate the inductor under test by a constant current with superimposed a large signal. The measurements are carried out at several inductor’s temperature values. Data are automatically collected by a novel virtual instrument developed by the authors in LabVIEW® environment aiming to obtain a polynomial based analytical model. The deep knowledge of the inductor model allows its design to be optimized improving the power density of th…

Fabrication and characterization of micrometer-scale ZnO memristors

Memristors are an interesting class of resistive random access memory (RRAM) based on the electrical switching of metal oxide film resistivity . They are characterized for exhibiting resistive switching between a high-resistance state (HRS) and a low-resistance state (LRS) and have been recently considered as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation nonvolatile memory devices because of their low power consumption, fast switching operation, nondestructive readout, and remarkable scalability. The device structure is simply an oxide layer sandwiched between two metal electrodes. The switching behaviour is dependent both on the oxide material and the choice of metal electrodes.…

Design and Modeling of an Interleaving Boost Converter with Quasi-Saturated Inductors for Electric Vehicles

This paper is focused on the analysis and modeling of DC-DC boost converters in interleaving configuration exploiting inductors in the quasi-saturation region. The converter is designed to optimize the power density by minimizing the size of the inductors. A simulation study for electric vehicle applications is conducted analyzing the effects of duty cycle and temperature variation on the ripple of the input current giving, moreover, information on the performances and dynamics of the converter for further implementation and optimizations.

Realization and drive tests of active thin glass x-ray mirrors

A technique to obtain lightweight and high-resolution focusing mirror segments for large aperture X-ray telescopes is the hot slumping of thin glass foils. In this approach, already successfully experimented to manufacture the optics of the NuSTAR X-ray telescope, thin glasses are formed at high temperature onto a precisely figured mould. The formed glass foils are subsequently stacked onto a stiff backplane with a common axis and focus to form an XOU (X-ray Optical Unit), to be later integrated in the telescope optic structure. In this process, the low thickness of the glass foils guarantees a low specific mass and a very low obstruction of the effective area. However, thin glasses are sub…

Electroplated Indium Bumps as Thermal and Electrical Connections of NTD-Ge Sensors for the Fabrication of Microcalorimeter Arrays

We are developing a method to build arrays of Ge-based microcalorimeters for soft X-rays detection using micro-photolithographic techniques. A key element of the process is the electrical and thermal connection between the germanium sensors and the interconnection electrical tracks, that lay on a substrate acting as mechanical support and thermal sink. The geometry of the sensors, that have a square base truncated pyramid shape, makes feasible a connection through indium soldering. We describe a technique, based on microlithography and electroplating, adopted to grow indium bumps of a few tens of square microns of area and several microns high on top of the contact pads patterned on the sub…

Calibration of the XRT-SOLARB flight filters at the XACT facility of INAF-OAPA

The X-Ray Telescope (XRT) experiment on-board the Japanese satellite SOLAR-B (launch in 2006) aimed at providing full Sun field of view at ~ 1.5" angular resolution, will be equipped with two wheels of focal-plane filters to select spectral features of X-ray emission from the Solar corona, and a front-end filter to significantly reduce the visible light contamination. We present the results of the X-ray calibrations of the XRT flight filters performed at the X-ray Astronomy Calibration and Testing (XACT) facility of INAF-OAPA. We describe the instrumental set-up, the adopted measurement technique, and present the transmission vs. energy and position measurements.

Resistive switching behaviour in ZnO and VO 2 memristors grown by pulsed laser deposition

The resistive switching behaviour observed in microscale memristors based on laser ablated ZnO and VO 2 is reported. A comparison between the two materials is reported against an active device size. The results show that devices up to 300 × 300 μm 2 exhibit a memristive behaviour regardless of the device size, and 100 × 100 μm 2 ZnO-based memristors have the best resistance off/on ratio.

A fully planar approach to the construction of X-Ray microcalorimeters with doped Germanium sensors

We have investigated a fully planar technology for the development of arrays of X-ray microcalorimeters with doped germanium thermal sensor. We describe the proposed approach and show promising results obtained with the deep etching of germanium, the most critical step of the whole process.

Progress in Violet Light-Emitting Diodes Based on ZnO/GaN Heterojunction

Progress in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on ZnO/GaN heterojunctions has run into several obstacles during the last twenty years. While both the energy bandgap and lattice parameter of the two semiconductors are favorable to the development of such devices, other features related to the electrical and structural properties of the GaN layer prevent an efficient radiative recombination. This work illustrates some advances made on ZnO/GaN-based LEDs, by using high-thickness GaN layers for the p-region of the device and an ad hoc device topology. Heterojunction LEDs consist of a quasicoalesced non-intentionally doped ZnO nanorod layer deposited by chemical bath deposition onto a metal&ndash

A Temperature Dependent Non-Linear Inductor Model for a DC/DC Boost Converter

This paper is focused on the use of non-linear inductors in DC/DC switching converters, as well as their behaviour due to changes in current and temperature. The model of an inductor is set up on the basis of experimental data, which are automatically acquired by a virtual instrument; from those data, a polynomial curve describing the inductance variations is obtained. The analysis of the converter, performed by including the proposed model, is validated by experimental tests.

Influence of electrodes layout on hydrothermally-grown GaN/ZnO LEDs

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on zinc oxide, with wide direct band gap, have drawn much attention in the last years. ZnO, which is natural n-type, has excellent physical and chemical properties, is inexpensive, abundant and nontoxic. Unfortunately, the preparation of reproducible and high quality p-type ZnO film is comparatively difficult, due to the low solubility of acceptor dopants, self-compensating effects, and acceptor level energy height. Although many groups have reported on ZnO-based homostructure LEDs, the results are controversial as recently reviewed in [1]. Hence, heterojunction LEDs based on ZnO as the nside and GaN as the p-side of the junction have been put forward [2].…

Resistive switching in microscale anodic titanium dioxide-based memristors

Licence CC BY-NC-ND The potentiality of anodic TiO2 as an oxide material for the realization of resistive switching memory cells has been explored in this paper. Cu/anodic-TiO2/Ti memristors of different sizes, ranging from 1 × 1 μm2 to 10 × 10 μm2 have been fabricated and characterized. The oxide films were grown by anodizing Ti films, using three different process conditions. Measured IV curves have shown similar asymmetric bipolar hysteresis behaviors in all the tested devices, with a gradual switching from the high resistance state to the low resistance state and vice versa, and a R_OFF/R_ON ratio of 80 for the thickest oxide film devices.

EMI Filter Re-Design in a SMPS with Inductor in Saturation

This paper analyzes the design issues of the input EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference) filter's in a switching mode power supply where the power inductor is operated in saturation. Starting with a SMPS equipped with linear inductor, the input filter is firstly designed to comply with Standards. Then, a new inductor with a smaller core size is employed in the same SMPS to exploit saturation. The EMI filter is re-designed, taking into account the increase of EMI introduced by the non-linear operation of the inductor. Finally, the reduction of the inductor's size and cost is compared with the increased size and cost of the EMI filter.

Manufacturing an active X-ray mirror prototype in thin glass

Adjustable mirrors equipped with piezo actuators are commonly used at synchrotron and free-electron laser (FEL) beamlines, in order to optimize their focusing properties and sometimes to shape the intensity distribution of the focal spot with the desired profile. Unlike them, X-ray mirrors for astronomy are much thinner in order to enable nesting and reduce the areal mass, and the application of piezo actuators acting normally to the surface appears much more difficult. There remains the possibility to correct the deformations using thin patches that exert a tangential strain on the rear side of the mirror: some research groups are already at work on this approach. The technique reported he…

Metallization of Si heterojunction solar cell by Cu electroplating

In response to recent climate change, many renewable energy solutions have acquired great importance; in fact, the need of sustainable development is increasing and the use of renewable energy, such as solar energy, can be applied to many industrial and consumer applications. Photovoltaic systems, which are made up of solar cells, are used for electrical vehicle charging stations and to supply remote areas not connected to the power distribution network; moreover, solar energy is widely used as a primary or secondary source of domestic electric power. In this scenario, the increasing in efficiency, and the cost reduction of solar cells, becomes a priority in the diffusion of PV systems for …

Assessment of MOSFET switching losses in an LLC converter by a calorimetric method

The present work aims to implement a calorimetric method to measure the power dissipated during MOSFET switching in a high efficiency LLC resonant converter. The power dissipated from switching can significantly impact the total power dissipated by the device and consequent efficiency, so correct quantification is fundamental for optimizing the devices and increasing the efficiency of the converters. In LLC converters, this type of dissipated power cannot be measured with standard methods such as measurement with oscilloscopes as some of the energy that is recovered and not dissipated. The calorimetric method requires reasonably accurate measurement of thermal resistance and the temperature…

NON-LINEAR INDUCTOR CONTRIBUTION TO HARMONIC SPECTRUM IN POWER CONVERTERS

The paper investigates the harmonic content in DC/DC power converters where the inductor is operated in the non-linear region. This operation is often exploited to use lighter and cheaper inductors; as a drawback, an increasing number of harmonics is noticeable. A theoretical analysis is proposed. It is based on a polynomial model of the inductor used in a boost converter. Results are given by the spectra of the output voltage performed on a circuit prototype.

Microprofilometro ottico in luce bianca

Characterization of inductors in partial saturation including thermal effects for DC/DC converters

Modern switching power electronic converters are widely used in many industrial and consumer applications, especially in step-up and step-down configurations. The optimization of the inductor in the converter design gives advantages in terms of power density increase and cost reduction; therefore, to properly design the converters, it is necessary to improve the knowledge of magnetic material behaviour as the current changes. The development of new models is becoming crucial in the design of modern power converters and there are some recent papers dealing with the use of inductors working in partial saturation [1-5]. This issue is of great interest for scientists and industry due to economi…

Radio frequency shielding of thin aluminized plastic filters investigated for the ATHENA X-IFU detector

Copyright 2018 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited. The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) is one of the two detectors of the ATHENA astrophysics space mission approved by ESA in the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Science Programme. The X-IFU consists of a large array of transition edge sensors (TES) micro-calorimeters covering a field of view of 5' diameter, sensitive in the energy range 0.2-12 keV, and providing a spectral resolution…

An Example of Ti:LiNbO3 Device Fabrication: The Mach-Zehnder Electrooptical Modulator

Integrated optics on LiNbO3 has already reached a stage of maturity. Several manufacturers are producing standard and custom devices on LiNbO3 such as high speed (up to 20 GHz) phase and intensity modulators, switching matrices, hybrid optical gyroscopes, etc.1. Two techniques are commonly used to fabricate these devices: titanium indiffusion for 1.3 and 1.5 μm wavelength operation and annealed proton exchange (APE) at 0.8 μm, due to its higher power handling capacity.

Forming-Free and Self-Rectifying Resistive Switching Effect in Anodic Titanium Dioxide-Based Memristors

The paper presents the resistive switching of electroforming-free Ti/anodic- TiO 2 /Cu memristors. Anodic TiO 2 thin films were prepared by anodizing Ti layers. Microscale devices were fabricated by direct laser-assisted photolithography. Experimental results showed a bipolar and self-rectifying behavior of the devices, which could be useful for crossbar array configurations. Moreover, a gradual resistive switching of the devices in both directions was observed, indicating the presence of multi-level resistance states.

Assessment of the Current for a Non-Linear Power Inductor Including Temperature in DC-DC Converters

A method for estimating the current flowing through a non-linear power inductor operating in a DC/DC converter is proposed. The knowledge of such current, that cannot be calculated in closed form as for the linear inductor, is crucial for the design of the converter. The proposed method is based on a third-order polynomial model of the inductor, already developed by the authors; it is exploited to solve the differential equation of the inductor and to implement a flux model in a circuit simulator. The method allows the estimation of the current up to saturation, intended as the point at which the differential inductance is reduced to half of its maximum value. The current profile depends al…

Self-Heating Induced Instability of a Non-Linear Inductor in a SMPS: a Case Study

This paper proposes a case study to show that the non-linear operation of a power inductor in a SMPS can induce instability of the control system leading to overheating of the inductor beyond its allowable temperature and to an excessive peak of the maximum current. The case study is performed by a commercial ferrite inductor employed in a synchronous boost converter encompassing a control system to adjust the duty cycle, assuring a constant output voltage. The thermal transient is described by the time domain waveforms and thermal images.

Multilevel pattern generation by GaN laser lithography: an application to beam shaper fabrication

The new GaN lasers represent a unique combination of compactness, reliability, energy efficiency, and short wavelength. With respect to the previous state of the art in direct laser write lithography, based on gas lasers, this is resulting in a breakthrough, and is opening the way to real desktop micropatterning. The field of diffractive optics can immediately benefit by the availability of a new breed of pattern generators, based on such sources, mainly for fast turnaround device development. This paper presents the technical advantages involved in the use of 405 nm GaN lasers for one-step multilevel patterning. Beam modulation, exposure control and overall process strategy are discussed. …

Manufacturing and testing a thin glass mirror shell with piezoelectric active control

Optics for future X-ray telescopes will be characterized by very large aperture and focal length, and will be made of lightweight materials like glass or silicon in order to keep the total mass within acceptable limits. Optical modules based on thin slumped glass foils are being developed at various institutes, aiming at improving the angular resolution to a few arcsec HEW. Thin mirrors are prone to deform, so they require a careful integration to avoid deformations and even correct forming errors. On the other hand, this offers the opportunity to actively correct the residual deformation: a viable possibility to improve the mirror figure is the application of piezoelectric actuators onto t…

Thermal Stability of a DC/DC Converter with Inductor in Partial Saturation

Inductors operated in quasi saturation in dc–dc converters allow reduction of the core size and realization costs; on the other hand, they imply an increase of dissipated power that can jeopardize the thermal stability of the converter. In this article, this issue is studied by a mathematical model able to represent both the inductor nonlinearity and its temperature dependence. The main losses, such as ohmic, skin effect and magnetic, are taken into account in the model. The inductor is characterized by a polynomial curve whose parameters are a function of the temperature. Finally, the whole converter is modeled and simulation results, obtained on a boost converter, are compared with experi…

Technologies for the fabrication of cylindrical fine line devices

Abstract A microlithographic process suited for metal patterning on cylindrical substrates has been developed. This includes all steps from metal coating to final etching, with resolution in the 5 μm range.

Graded reflectivity micromirror arrays

A technique for fabricating arrays of graded reflectivity micromirrors with diameters as small as 25 microm is reported. It is based on laser-induced physical vapor deposition through microholes on a thin free-standing noncontact mask, and it is suitable for applications in micro-optics and solid-state laser technology.

Chemical Bath Deposition as a Simple Way to Grow Isolated and Coalesced ZnO Nanorods for Light-Emitting Diodes Fabrication

A way to grow and characterize isolated and coalesced ZnO nanorods on $p$ -GaN/sapphire structure is presented. Chemical bath deposition can be used to grow ZnO nanorods of device-quality, simply controlling the duration time of the growth process and the concentration of the nutrient solution in the bath. Increasing the duration of the process, as well as the concentration of the solution, leads to compact and sound layers instead of separated nanorods. However, too high concentrations stop the growth process. Light-emitting diodes fabricated on these ZnO-p-GaN heterostructure have a peak of electroluminescence at 400 nm and exhibit interesting electrical and optical properties. Optical po…

Coalescence of ZnO nanorods grown by chemical bath deposition

In this work, a way to grow isolated and coalesced ZnO nanorods on p-GaN/sapphire structure is presented. Chemical bath deposition [1],[2] was used to grow ZnO nanorods of device-quality on a p-GaN/n-GaN/sapphire template, simply controlling the duration time of the growth process and the concentration of the nutrient solution in the bath. Several p-GaN templates were soaked in a nutrient solution, prepared with different concentration of zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Sigma-Aldrich, reagent grade 98%) and hexamethylenetetramine (Alfa Aesar, ACS 99%) in deionized water, while being heated at a temperature of 80 °C for a period varying from 8 to 25 hours; then, the samples were left in the soluti…

Electrical connections and driving electronics for piezo-actuated x-ray thin glass optics

Use of thin glass modular optics is a technology currently under study to build light, low cost, large area X-ray telescopes for high energy astrophysics space missions. The angular resolution of such telescopes is limited by local deviations from the ideal shape of the mirrors. One possible strategy to improve it consists in actively correcting the mirror profile by gluing thin ceramic piezo-electric actuators on the back of the glasses. A large number of actuators, however, requires several electrical connections to drive them with the different needed voltages. We have developed a process for depositing conductive paths directly on the back of non-planar thin foil mirrors by means of a p…

Equivalent Circuit Modelling of Ferrite Inductors Losses

The modelling of the magnetic losses in the core of ferrite inductors for power conversion circuits has been considered in this paper. On the basis of the Revised Generalized Steinmetz Model (RGSE) an equivalent circuital modelling has been obtained. The losses are modelled as an equivalent resistance connected in parallel to the inductor. The model has been tested under periodic triangular current waveforms.

Impact of Nonlinear Inductor on Efficiency and Power Losses in a SMPS: a Case Study

This paper proposes a comparative analysis focused on losses in two Switched Mode Power Supplies, adopting a linear inductor and an inductor operated up to saturation, respectively. The use of the nonlinear inductor saves weight and cost on the magnetic material, which is of great interest for automotive applications; however, it increases the peak current and can increase losses. The analysis aims to compare, by simulations, the impact on the efficiency of the different current waveforms throughout the converter. The losses are discussed in detail and calculated for each component of the converters.

Pulsed laser deposition of ZnO and VO2 films for memristor fabrication

Memristors are resistive switching memory devices which have attracted much attention over the last years for high-density memory applications because of their simple structure, small cell size, high speed, low power consumption, potential for 3-D stacking and excellent compatibility with the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology [1]. Beside nonvolatile memory applications, memristors have been also proposed for other different applications including biosensors [2] and neuromorphic [3] circuits. The device structure is simply an oxide material sandwiched between two metal electrodes. The switching behavior is not only dependent on the oxide material but also on the choic…

Current Spreading Length and Injection Efficiency in ZnO/GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes

We report on carrier injection features in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on nonintentionally doped-ZnO/p-GaN heterostructures. These LEDs consist of a ZnO layer grown by chemical-bath deposition (CBD) onto a p-GaN template without using any seed layer. The ZnO layer (~1- $\mu \text{m}$ thickness) consists of a dense collection of partially coalesced ZnO nanorods, organized in wurtzite phase with marked vertical orientation, whose density depends on the concentration of the solution during the CBD process. Due to the limited conductivity of the p-GaN layer, the recombination in the n-region is strongly dependent on the spreading length of the holes, ${L}_{h}$ , coming from the p-contact…

A multichannel piezo driver for active mirrors in X-ray telescopes

X-ray astronomy is gaining importance for studying X-ray space sources such as single and binary stars, neutron stars, supernovae and black holes. Due to atmospheric absorption, X-ray telescopes must operate in space on satellites. Among the causes limiting the resolution of modern telescopes are distortions in mirrors shape. An innovative approach for X-ray mirrors aims at correcting the shape errors by means of piezo-ceramic actuators glued to the back of the mirrors, thus creating an “active mirror”. In order to test the viability of shape correction, we fabricated [1] a prototype of a thin glass active mirror, sized 20 cm x 20 cm with a 400 um thickness (Fig. 1). The mirror can allocate…

Decoupled control scheme of the grid-connected split-source inverter for renewable energy sources

Grid-connected power conversion systems for renewable energy sources must fulfill several requirements, including high efficiency, reduced cost and complexity, and, quite often, also boost capabilities from the dc sources to the ac power grid. For such applications, single-stage power converters with boost capabilities offer some potential advantages. Among several proposed options, split-source inverter (SSI) has been recently investigated. This paper proposes a decoupled control scheme for the SSIs, where the common mode term of the ac modulation signals is used to control the dc input current. Thus, the dc input current and ac output current can be controlled independently. The proposed …

Non-Linear Inductors Characterization in Real Operating Conditions for Power Density Optimization in SMPS

The exploitation of power inductors outside their linear region in switching converters can be achieved by raising the current until a decreasing of the inductance can be noticed. It allows using a smaller magnetic core increasing the power density of the converter. On the other hand, a detailed description of the magnetization curve including the temperature is required. Since this information is often not included in the inductor’s datasheets, this paper shows how to identify the behavior of an inductor when it is operated up to saturation and its temperature rises. In order to characterize the inductor in real operating conditions, a dedicated measurement rig has been developed. It consi…

A Measurement System for Power Inductors in Non-Linear Operating Conditions

The exploitation of power inductors in switching converters outside the linear region requires detailed information on the magnetization curve that often is not included among those usually available on their datasheets. This paper proposes an automatic system in which the inductor is characterized in real operating conditions taking into account also the core temperature. It is based on a switching converter suitably controlled by a virtual instrument. The system was tested by retrieving the inductance vs current curves of two commercial inductors for core temperatures up to 105°C, showing the different behaviors of the magnetization curves. Results are coherent with data given by manufact…