SiP integration of intelligent, adaptive, self-sustaining power management solutions for portable applications

Power management is an essential component of any electrical system, and nowadays a limiting factor in the miniaturization of portable electronic devices. Not only are the battery and power components difficult to integrate but their performance requirements in mobile environments are more stringent. And although point-of-load (PoL) regulation techniques and monolithic controllers are industry standards today, more integration is indispensable. To address these issues, system-in-package (SiP) self-renewable energy source and storage devices are proposed alongside an array of circuit techniques designed to circumvent the shortcomings of such a miniaturized environment, like smart load-sharing schemes, customizable and self-adaptive PoL regulators, active inductor and capacitor multipliers, and robust self-calibrating and self-stabilizing dc-dc converters. On their own, each seeks to push the limits of integration while maintaining and many times improving performance. As a whole, they promise the birth of a new generation of ICs.