In a DC/DC converter, the auxiliary power supply of multiple switching devices requires independent isolated power supplies. Taking a full-bridge converter as an example, the high-side and low-side MOSFETs (HS-FETs and LS-FETs, respectively) of the bridge arm require isolated power supplies for the gate driver circuit. The traditional scheme uses a bootstrap circuit to power supply both the upper ...

When designing power supplies, it is always critical to optimize the design for efficiency. Increased efficiency saves energy, reduces heat generation, and can even reduce the power supply’s size. This article will discuss how to choose the ratio between the number of high-side MOSFETs (HS-FETs) and low-side MOSFETs (LS-FETs) to improve efficiency in power supply designs. Figure 1 shows a simpli...

As COVID-19 spread in March of 2020, the global shortage of emergency ventilators was one of the biggest concerns. The increasing demand in ventilators meant they would soon be out of supply, so a team at Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) sought to help create a solution to this crisis. While MPS is not a medical device manufacturer, its engineers and designers are highly experienced with power elect...