Design of a high-efficiency power converter for a satellite solid-state power amplifier

The design of a high-efficiency electronic power converter (EPC) for a satellite C-Band solid-state power amplifier (SSPA) is presented. The EPC provides +9 V to the SSPA drain at a maximum power level of +55 W and -3 V for the SSPA gate bias at a power level of 0.15 W. Ultra-high efficiency is achieved by employing an active clamp forward power converter and synchronous rectifiers. Experimental results show an efficiency in excess of 94%.<
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