A High-Power Modular Radio Frequency Converter with Wide-Range Power Regulation Under ZVS Operation

Radio frequency converter (RFC) is widely used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, which requires high power, high efficiency, and a wide power regulation range. To fulfill these demands, this paper proposes efficient modular power amplifiers (PAs), where multiple RFC modules are constructed using full-bridge class-D PAs. The constant-current output characteristics of individual modules and the system-level power delivery capability are comprehensively analyzed. Additionally, a hybrid modulation strategy combining module number adjustment and DC voltage control is proposed to achieve wide-range power regulation without requiring auxiliary circuits. A 3-kW four-module RFC prototype is implemented and tested at 400 kHz. Experimental results demonstrate an extended output power range from 100 W to 2.8 kW with a peak efficiency of 93.7%, accompanied by low output current harmonic distortions. The findings validate the superior performance of the proposed architecture in practical applications

射频变换器（Radio frequency converter, RFC）广泛应用于半导体制造行业，此类场景对设备提出了高功率、高效率以及宽功率调节范围的严苛要求。为满足上述需求，本文提出了高效模块化功率放大器（modular power amplifiers, PAs）方案，其中多个射频变换器模块采用全桥D类功率放大器（full-bridge class-D PAs）构建。本文对单个模块的恒流输出特性以及系统级功率传输能力进行了全面分析。此外，本文提出了一种结合模块数量调节与直流电压控制的混合调制策略，可在无需辅助电路的前提下实现宽范围功率调节。本文搭建了一台3kW四模块射频变换器样机，并在400千赫兹工况下开展测试。实验结果表明，该样机的输出功率范围拓展至100W至2.8kW，峰值效率可达93.7%，同时输出电流谐波畸变率较低。上述研究结果验证了所提架构在实际应用中的优异性能。