800V ultra-high-voltage start-up mechanism for pre-regulator in power factor correction (PFC) controller

The on-chip 800V ultra-high-voltage (UHV) start-up mechanism was introduced in this paper. Using the UHV start-up mechanism can minimize the current leakage at the AC input and remove the need of external start-up resistor and capacitor. As a result, the standby current can be decreased to improve the efficiency of AC-DC systems. Furthermore, the zero current detection (ZCD) circuit was used here to ensure the work of the pre-regulator. An inductance coil will detect the primary inductance current and reflect the voltage, which is detected by ZCD circuit to provide the energy to the pre-regulator. The test circuit fabricated in TSMC 800V UHV process can show the highly-integrated PFC controller. Experimental results demonstrate low THD of 8%, which results in high PF of 99%. Certainly, high efficiency of 95% can be ensured at the output power of 50W.