On the General Design Methodology for Broadband Radio Frequency Power Inverters

Abstract

We introduce a systematic methodology for modeling and designing broadband RF inverters based on linear time-variant network analysis. Design equations are derived for achieving broadband and zero-voltage-switching operation in representative topologies, guiding circuit parameter selection and timing adjustment over a wide frequency range. Further discussions compare the class-E, class-Φ2, and class-DE topologies in terms of switch utilization and highlight the practical nonidealities in inverter implementation. An efficient 230 W class-Φ2 inverter prototype is presented to validate the proposed methodology, operating across a frequency range exceeding 6 MHz centered around 13 MHz, from 10 to 16.2 MHz.