Techniques for efficient radio frequency power conversion

Abstract

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2019Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-304).A diverse range of radio-frequency (RF) power applications demand RF power generation systems that allow for dynamic output power control while having the capability to efficiently deliver power into a varying load. While some of these existing and emerging applications are characterized with narrowband or single-frequency operation, others require operation over a range of frequencies. In such applications, the system architecture typically comprises an RF power amplifier (PA) or inverter along with a tunable impedance matching network (TMN). Electronically-controlled TMNs offer substantial benefits when it comes to the implementability of such highly reconfigurable and adaptive RF systems as they allow for proper impedance termination of the PA or inverter over the operating load and frequency range. This work explores the design of TMNs based on a solid-state technique that allows for faster and more accurate impedance matching compared to traditional approaches. The performance and design of such TMNs is demonstrated for plasma driving applications at 13.56 MHz. In addition, this work proposes techniques for designing switched-mode RF inverters that can operate efficiently over a wide load impedance range. These techniques are applied to the design of class E and class [Phi]2 inverter prototypes at 27.12 MHz, and their ability to handle large load modulation while maintaining high operating efficiency is demonstrated. The techniques presented in this work can be further applied to the integration of an RF power amplifier/inverter and a TMN into a single multi-transistor architecture capable of efficiently operating across frequency and load variation while providing dynamic output power control.by Alexander Jurkov.Ph. D.Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Scienc