Miniature High-Voltage DC-DC Power Converters for Space and Micro-Robotic Applications

Abstract

We develop a small and lightweight high-voltage high-gain power converter for applications where weight and size are premium. By driving a Dickson and Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier with a megahertz-frequency class-E inverter, we implement two converters, one that achieves 40 V-to-2 kV conversion with 16 cm 3 box volume and the other that achieves 3.7 V-to-2.9 kV conversion with 0.2 cm 3 box volume and 0.49 g weight. Presented converters achieve comparable or better power density and specific power to those of commercial high-voltage power supplies.