Integrated Micro-Scale Power Electronics

微尺度系统技术的快速发展产生了对电力电子电路的需求，这些电路达到了前所未有的小型化水平。此外，迫切需要通过批量微加工技术来制造这些电力电子产品，并与其他微系统组件集成。电力电子中使用的无源储能元件是实现小型化和集成化的主要障碍。无源元件的储能密度限制和其较差的缩放特性在小范围内影响了转换器的性能。微米级电力电子的集成制造需要绕过这些问题的元件和拓扑。这里描述的研究计划解决了微规模电力电子产品的小型化和集成化制造的双重挑战。提出了两种密切相关的应对这些挑战的方法。第一种方法探索了基于多谐振滤波网络的新型无源元件和电路拓扑，该网络利用了通过微制造获得的比率匹配。这些结构和拓扑与传统的功率转换方法兼容，但需要的无源元件尺寸要小得多。第二种方法探索包含机械储能模式的替代微型无源组件。这些微机械滤波元件与本文探索的新电路拓扑兼容，可用MEMS制造技术实现，并具有改进的缩放特性。研究结果可能对微尺度电力电子的尺寸、性能和可制造性产生巨大影响。在推进这一项目时，我们还将解决一个重要的教育问题：需要能够将微规模电力电子技术广泛应用的工程师。这将通过吸引学生参与研究，将关键研究成果纳入我们的教育和社区推广工作，以及通过在研究和麻省理工学院课程之间建立协同关系来实现。作为这些努力的一部分，我们将努力让具有广泛不同背景的学生参与到工作中来，特别是吸引来自代表性不足群体的学生。

The rapid evolution of micro-scale systems technology is generating a demand for power electronic circuits that achieve unprecedented levels of miniaturization. Furthermore, there is a tremendous need for these power electronics to be manufacturable via batch microfabrication techniques and integrable with other microsystem components. The passive energy-storage components used in power electronics are a major obstacle to achieving miniaturization and integration. The energy storage density limitations of passive components and their poor scaling characteristics impair converter performance at small scales. Integrated fabrication of micro-scale power electronics requires components and topologies that circumvent these problems. The research program described here addresses the twin challenges of miniaturization and integrated fabrication of micro-scale power electronics. Two closely-related approaches for meeting these challenges are proposed. The first approach explores novel passive components and circuit topologies based on multi-resonant filter networks that take advantage of the ratiometric matching available through microfabrication. These structures and topologies are compatible with conventional power conversion methods, but require much lower passive-component size. The second approach explores alternative micro-scale passive components that incorporate mechanical modes of energy storage. These microelectromechanical filter components are compatible with the new circuit topologies explored here, can be implemented with MEMS fabrication techniques, and exhibit improved scaling characteristics.The research results have the potential for tremendous impact on the size, performance, and manufacturability of micro-scale power electronics. In pursuing this project, we will also address an important education issue: the need for engineers that are capable of bringing micro-scale power electronics into widespread application. This will be accomplished by engaging students in the research, incorporating key research results into our education and community outreach efforts, and by forging synergistic ties between the research and courses at MIT. As part of these efforts, we will endeavor to engage students with a broad variety of backgrounds in the work, and especially to engage students from under-represented groups.