MARKETING WHITE PAPER
Understanding the Trade-offs and Technologies to Increase Power Density
A key to design success is often to reduce the size of the power supply. Space is
limited. There is constant pressure to do more with less. More broadly, the miniaturization
of power supplies has and will continue to enable new markets and applications.
At a glance
This paper examines the limitations to increasing power density and provides technology examples that can help designers overcome these barriers.
 1 What is power density? | Power density can be viewed several ways depending on the application, but
the goal remains the same: Reducing solution size leads to improvements in
power density. |
| 2 What limits power density? | The primary factors limiting a designer’s ability to improve power density
are converter power losses — including conduction, charge-related,
reverse-recovery, and turn-on and turn-off losses — and the thermal
performance of the system. |
| 3 | How to break through power density barriers Designers must attack each limiting factor in parallel: reducing switch
losses; improving package thermal performance; adopting innovative
topologies and circuits; and embracing more passive integration. |
Authors
Jeffrey Morroni, Ph.D,
Manager - Kilby Power, Isolation and Motors
Texas Instruments
Pradeep Shenoy, Ph.D.
Manager, Power Design Services
Texas Instruments
