QuickSHiFT: Rapid High-Frequency Transformer Simulation and Optimization

Transformer characteristics such as current distri-bution, loss, and leakage inductance are often predicted through hand calculations or FEA analysis, which are slow and labor-intensive. A recently-developed analysis technique can predict transformer characteristics six orders of magnitude faster than FEA and is promising for use in analysis and especially op-timization. The work presented here drastically improves the usability of this rapid prediction method by creating a software tool that can automatically generate winding configurations and analyze them at speeds of thousands-per-second. This paper covers the implementation of such a general software tool, called the Quick Simulator of High-Frequency Transformers (QuickSHiFT), demonstrates its user interface and utility for human analysis, and further provides examples of rapid brute-force optimization of 4-layer planar transformers.