Hard-Switching High-Frequency GaN-based DC-DC Converters with Concomitant Data Transmission Functionality

As the trend toward smaller, more compact, and downsized solutions intensifies, Power and Signal Dual Modulation (PSDM) within the field of Power Line Communication (PLC) has emerged as a cuttingedge methodology. PSDM not only integrates data transmission functionality within power converters; it additionally offers a safeguard against the inherent challenges of conventional PLC, including sensitivity to noise on Power-Lines (PLs) and fluctuating PLC channel characteristics. Despite these advancements, PSDM converters encounter a primary challenge with data transmission speed being limited to a few kbit/s, due to their reliance on low Switching Frequencies (SFs) within the kHz range. This paper explores a new concept of utilizing tunable switching noise from Switched-Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) as signal carriers for data transmission on DC PLs, targeting up to 1 Mbit/s. With the increasing availability of Wide Bandgap (WBG) semiconductors such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN), this approach can conceivably be feasible in the MHz-range. Yet, a key question persists: is high bit rate via hard-switching SMPSs achievable? Our research confirms this feasibility by encoding and analyzing Controller Area Network (CAN) messages, demonstrating direct and transparent propagation over PLs, in contrast to time delays faced when encoding and decoding using conventional PLC modems.