High-Efficiency Wide-Bandwidth Boost Converter IC with Pulse-Skipped Switching and Gm-Boosted Compensation for Battery-Powered Portable Systems

Woojin Kim, Haejun Noh, Se-Un Shin () and Hyuntak Jeon ()
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Woojin Kim: School of Semiconductor Engineering, Chungbuk National University (CBNU), Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Haejun Noh: School of Semiconductor Engineering, Chungbuk National University (CBNU), Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Se-Un Shin: Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Hyuntak Jeon: School of Semiconductor Engineering, Chungbuk National University (CBNU), Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: High-efficiency power management is essential for silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)-based sensing systems, especially in portable radiation detectors that demand long battery life and stable operation. Conventional fixed-frequency, voltage-mode boost converters face two critical issues: efficiency degradation at light load due to dominant switching losses, and narrow loop bandwidth in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), which limits transient response. This work proposes a boost converter IC that integrates a pulse-skipped switching (PSS) scheme with a Gm-boosted compensator to address these challenges. The PSS method adaptively suppresses unnecessary switching events, significantly improving light-load efficiency, while the Gm-boosted compensator enhances loop gain, expanding the bandwidth and enabling faster recovery under dynamic conditions. Implemented in a 250 nm BCD process, the converter provides up to 30 V output from a 3.3–5 V supply with load currents up to 10 mA. Simulation results show a peak efficiency of 86.3% at 1 mA and a loop bandwidth increase of more than 14 times compared with a conventional fixed-frequency, voltage-mode design. Beyond radiation applications, the proposed converter is broadly applicable to battery-powered IoT, medical monitoring, and portable energy systems requiring efficient high-voltage generation.

Keywords: silicon photomultiplier (SiPM); boost converter IC; pulse-skipped switching; Gm-boosted compensator; portable radiation detection systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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