Investigation of topology candidates for 48 V VRM

Abstract

In future applications, it will be impractical for voltage regulator modules (VRMs) to draw power from the 12 V output of the silver box because the voltage bus will be too low to deliver more power. Therefore, distributed power systems (DPSs) with buses of 48 V will be more feasible solutions for future high-end PCs. This paper focuses primarily on the investigation and comparison of 48 V VRM candidates. Six 48 V VRM prototypes are built and compared: the active clamp forward, asymmetrical half bridge, symmetrical half bridge, push-pull, push-pull forward and integrated-filter push-pull forward topologies.