Abstract: Encapsulated electronic modules having complex contact structures may be formed by encapsulating panels containing a substrate comprising pluralities of electronic modules delineated by cut lines and having conductive interconnects buried within terminal holes and other holes drilled in the panel within the boundaries of the cut lines. Slots may be cut in the panel along the cut lines. The interior of the holes, as well as surfaces within the slots and on the surfaces of the panel may be metallized, e.g. by a series of processes including plating. Solder may be dispensed into the holes for surface mounting. Two or more panels may be stacked prior to singulation to form module stacks. Multi-cell converters having a large cell pitch may be combined with an interconnection module to provide vertical power delivery to semiconductor devices through a semiconductor power grid having a small pitch. The converters and interconnection modules may be fabricated in panels and stacked prior to singulation.

Abstract: A single-ended, zero-current switching, forward converter circuit converts power from a current source to a voltage load in a succession of energy transfer cycles using a transformer constructed to have an effective leakage inductance L.sub.1e, a capacitor (C) in series with the primary winding of the transformer, a switching device also in series with the primary winding, a unidirectional conducting device connected in series with the secondary winding in an orientation to conduct when the switching device is conducting, and a controller that selectively closes and opens the switching device to transfer energy from the capacitor via the effective primary leakage inductance to the load during an energy transfer cycle having a characteristic time scale determined by L.sub.1e and C.

Abstract: A power booster module for use in a zero-current switching converter array which includes a signal pulse train generator external to the power booster module, the pulse train having a frequency corresponding to the frequency of energy transfer cycles occurring in the array, the power booster module including a zero-current switching converter and a control input port to which the pulse train is applied to trigger energy transfer cycles in the booster module at the frequency of the pulse train, whereby the booster module operates coherently with the array to provide a share of the power drawn by a load.

Abstract: The transformer's core in single ended forward converters is reset by a "magnetizing current mirror" consisting of a capacitor in series with an auxiliary switch which, during the OFF period of the primary switch, couples the capacitor to one of the transformer's windings to form a resonant circuit with the transformer's magnetizing inductance. The resonant circuit recycles the transformer's magnetizing energy by creating a mirror image of the magnetic flux between ON periods. This maximizes the flux swing available within a given core. The voltage stress on the primary switch is minimized as the voltage across the switch during the OFF period is approximately constant and automatically tailored to avoid dead time for arbitrary values of the switch duty cycle.

Abstract: A DC-to-DC converter processes power by a sequence of energy transfer cycles in each of which a quantum of energy is taken from a voltage source towards a current sink via a magnetic energy storage device (specifically a transformer having a small effective leakage inductance) and a capacitor. This (effective) LC circuit defines a characteristic time scale for the rise and fall of the current drawn from the voltage source so that a switching device connected in series with the source can be switched on and off at essentially zero current. Following each cycle the energy stored in the capacitor is released by the current sink. After the capacitor is discharged, the sink current is carried by a rectifier diode connected in parallel with the capacitor. This prevents the LC circuit from becoming a resonant circuit and leads to a unidirectional flow of energy from source to load which optimizes the efficiency and power density of the conversion process.