ZSC switched capacitor converter powers next-gen data centres
Zero-voltage-switching (ZSC) switched capacitor converters from Infineon Technologies have a two-stage architecture for 48V applications to power up CPUs, GPUs, SoCs, ASICs, and memory.
According to Infineon, this system concept for 48V architecture paves a way towards 99 per cent efficiency. Combining a ZSC board with CoolGaN 600V-based devices optimises power flow and performance for the next generation of data centres. Infineon will introduce its latest ZSC converter board at PCIM 2019 in Nuremberg, Germany next week.
The ZSC converter is claimed to deliver the highest efficiency and power density for applications using 48V. It uses capacitive energy transfer with power MOSFET soft switching to generates an intermediate bus voltage. This enables an easy and low-risk migration path for legacy 12V systems to a 48V infrastructure at what Infineon describes as a significantly improved total cost of ownership. Combined with Infineon’s multi-phase buck regulators, the converter offers overall efficiency of more than 94 per cent and power density for 48V input systems above the industry’s average.
The board is populated with microcontrollers, drivers and switches from Infineon, 25 and 40V OptiMOS 5 and OptiMOS 6 MOSFETs as well as EiceDRIVER 2EDi gate driver ICs. The XMC family of microcontrollers complements the ZSC switched capacitor converter.
The converter can be implemented as a voltage regulator module (VRM) or voltage regulator down (VRD) design, depending upon system requirements and limitations. Its bi-directional power transfer capability allows power architecture designers to implement high-efficiency and compact bus converters that can provide voltage conversion from 48 to 12V, or vice versa, notes Infineon.
The ZSC switched capacitor converter can be configured to supply different conversion ratios (2:1, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1, 10:1, 12:1) with the same set of components for best system-level efficiency optimisation. In a 4:1 configuration, the ZSC converter can achieve peak efficiency of up to 99 per cent at 600W with a power density of 780W/inch2, reports Infineon. The same design can deliver up to 1kW.
The ZSC board is available upon request.
Visit Infineon at PCIM 2019 Hall 9-313
