Electronic Engineering Final Year Project By Claire Mc Kenna

Title: Point of Load (POL) Power Supply Design Supervisor: Dr Maeve Duffy

Project Outline  Objective is to compare the industry used Dc-Dc Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) the (Interleaved Buck Converter) with a conventional power converter  Conventional power converter V.I Chips, PRM and VTM made by Vicor Corporation  Pre-Regulator Module (PRM) and Voltage Transformation Module (VTM) chips

Background  Operating voltages for microprocessors are getting smaller e.g. 1V  At present the Intel Xeon (LV) processor operates at 1.1V

 Compare the V.I chips and the alternative solution under steady state and transient load conditions

Proposals (Time Scale)  Sept/Oct - Review VRM issues for microprocessor requirements and review V.I chips  Nov – Analyse the Buck converter and identify suitable components  Dec – Magnetic component design for V.I chips and Buck converter

Proposals (Time Scale)  Jan/Feb – Build and test these components for both solutions and test under steady state/transient load conditions  Feb/Mar – Consider the implications of future microprocessor power requirements

Progress  Research on the PRM and VTM V.I chips  2008 Intel launch new 45nm microarchitecture with energy efficiency technology, so far no information on power requirements or VRM design  Quick review of Buck converter