Analysis of step-down resonant switched capacitor converter with sneak circuit state

Sneak circuit is a latent circuit path or condition that causes undesired function to occur at some certain conditions. The sneak circuit phenomena were analyzed in a step-down resonant switched capacitor (RSC) converter. With same control method, the sneak circuit state would appear only by the converter disturbances. This paper derived the conditions that cause sneak circuit state and obtained output characteristics with sneak circuit state in step-down RSC converter. A step-down RSC prototype has been implemented to verify the sneak circuit phenomena and conditions.