The present disclosure, in an aspect thereof, has an object to effectively reduce transient current in a rectifier circuit. In a rectifier circuit, a current flows from a power supply to a coil when a transistor is turned on. Then, when the transistor is turned off, a second rectifier current flows from the coil to a second rectifier.

Disclosed are a new phase shift full bridge (PSFB) converter using a clamp circuit connected to a center-tapped clamp circuit and an operating method thereof. The new PSFB converter using a clamp circuit connected to a center-tapped clamp circuit includes a primary-side circuit including a plurality of inductors connected to one end between a first switch and a second switch which are connected in series and to one end between a third switch and a fourth switch which are connected in series and a secondary-side circuit using a voltage applied by the primary-side circuit and including a clamping circuit configured with a first rectifier diode, a second rectifier diode, a third rectifier diode, a fourth rectifier diode, a first clamping diode, a second clamping diode and a capacitor in a center-tapped clamp circuit.

An electronic converter includes first and second inputs, first and second outputs, and a switching cell configured to supply current. The switching cell includes a half-bridge including first and second switches connected in series between the two inputs. The half-bridge includes a intermediate point between the first and second switch, a first inductor directly connected to the first output, a second inductor connected to the intermediate point, a first capacitor connected in series with the first and second inductors, a second capacitor connected between the intermediate point and the second input, and a circuit connected between a terminal of the first inductor and the second output. A circuit path of the converter is configured to couple the second inductor with the first output through the first capacitor and the first inductor, and another circuit path is configured to couple the second capacitor with the first output through the first inductor.

Various embodiments of the present application are directed towards an integrated circuit (IC) including a first switching device, a second switching device, an inductor, and a controller. The inductor is electrically coupled to a first source/drain region of the first switching device and a first source/drain region of the second switching device at a node. The controller is configured to alternatingly change the first and second switching devices between a first state and a second state, respectively. The first switching device is in a third state before or after the second switching device transitions between the first and second states. A subthreshold voltage is applied to a first gate of the first switching device during the third state, such that the third state is between a cutoff mode and a triode mode of the first switching device.

In a half-bridge circuit, when a transistor element is turned ON, a primary winding current flows from a power supply to a first primary winding. Then, when the transistor element is turned OFF, (i) a first rectifying element current flows from the secondary winding to the first rectifying element, and a first reverse voltage for a first switching element is applied to the first switching element, or (ii) a second rectifying element current flows from the tertiary winding to the second rectifying element, and a first reverse voltage for a second switching element is applied to the second switching element.

In a half-bridge circuit, in a case that a first transistor element is turned ON, a primary winding current flows from a power supply to a primary winding. Then, in a case that the first transistor element is turned OFF, (i) a first rectifying element current flows from a secondary winding to a first rectifying element, or (ii) a second rectifying element current flows from a tertiary winding to a second rectifying element.

A sense terminal is configured to sense a drain-to-source voltage of a field effect transistor and a drive terminal is configured to drive the gate terminal of the field effect transistor to alternatively turn the field effect transistor on and off to provide a rectified current flow in the field effect transistor channel. A comparator is configured to perform a comparison of the drain-to-source voltage of the field effect transistor with a reference threshold and to detect alternate downward and upward crossings of the reference threshold and the drain-to-source voltage. A PWM signal generator is configured to drive the gate terminal of the field effect transistor to turn the field effect transistor on and off as a result of the alternate downward and upward crossings of the reference threshold by the drain-to-source voltage.

A switching cell includes: a half-bridge circuit including a first electronic switch and a second electronic switch connected in series between a first input terminal and a second input terminal of an electronic converter, wherein a first capacitor is connected in parallel to the first electronic switch and a second capacitor is connected in parallel to the second electronic switch; a first inductor connected between a first output terminal of the electronic converter and an intermediate point between the first electronic switch and the second electronic switch; a second inductor and a first capacitor connected in series between a first terminal of the first inductor and the intermediate point; a switching circuit connected between the first terminal of the first inductor and a second output terminal of the electronic converter; and a third capacitance connected between the first terminal of the first inductor and the second input terminal.

In a rectifying circuit including a HEMT and a diode connected antiparallel to the HEMT, a forward voltage drop when the diode starts to be conductive is made smaller than a voltage drop when the HEMT is reverse-conductive in an OFF state corresponding to an amount of rectified current when the HEMT is reverse-conductive in an ON state, inductance of a pathway extending through the diode is made larger than inductance of a pathway extending through the HEMT among the pathways connecting a source terminal and a drain terminal of the HEMT, and an amount of charge accumulated in a parasitic capacitance of the diode is made smaller than an amount of charge accumulated in an output capacitance of the HEMT. With this, there is provided a rectifying circuit in which switching loss due to the charge accumulated in the output capacitance of the HEMT is reduced.

In the power supply device, the insulated transformer transforms the voltage of alternating-current power. The rectifying circuit rectifies the alternating-current power transformed by the transformer to direct-current power. The smoothing inductor smoothes the direct-current power rectified by the rectifying circuit. The first output terminal outputs the direct-current power smoothed by the smoothing inductor. The second output terminal is a terminal different from the first output terminal and outputs the direct-current power smoothed by the smoothing inductor. An FET is provided between the smoothing inductor and the first output terminal and adjusts a current output from the smoothing inductor to the first output terminal. An FET is provided between the smoothing inductor and the second output terminal and adjusts a current output from the smoothing inductor to the second output terminal. The controller controls the FET and the FET.