Could Piezoelectric Devices replace Magnetics in Power Converters?

In applications from consumer electronics to transportation, compact and lightweight systems are essential.  As power converter designs move higher in switching frequency to achieve smaller form factors and meet this goal, magnetics often constrain converter efficiency and miniaturization. Piezoelectric devices offer a promising alternative to inductors and transformers, exhibiting higher power density, smaller form factors, and greater efficiency at high frequency.

This talk will offer: 

• An introduction to piezoelectric power converters
• Touching on piezoelectric device design and fabrication
• Converter topologies
• Device nonidealities
• Future avenues
• Q&A at the end

Speakers:

Heather Chang and Clarissa Daniel are PhD candidates in electrical engineering at Stanford University.  They both conduct research under Professor Juan Rivas-Davila in the Stanford University Power Electronics Research (SUPER) lab on piezoelectric power converters.