Improved Design Optimization for High-Efficiency Matching Networks

Multistage matching networks are often utilized to provide voltage or current gains in resonant conversion applications, such as large conversion ratio power converters and wireless power transfer. In the conventional approach, each stage of a multistage matching network is designed to have a purely resistive input impedance and assumed to be loaded by a purely resistive load. This paper introduces an improved design optimization approach for multistage matching networks comprising L-section stages. The proposed design optimization approach explores the possibility of improvement in efficiency of the network by allowing the L-section stages to have complex input and load impedances. A new analytical framework is developed to determine the effective transformation ratio and efficiency of each stage for the case when input and load impedances may be complex. The method of Lagrange multipliers is used to determine the gain and impedance characteristics of each stage in the matching network that maximize overall efficiency. Compared with the conventional design approach for matching networks, the proposed approach achieves higher efficiency, resulting in loss reduction of up to 35% for a three-stage L-section matching network. The theoretical predictions are validated experimentally using a three-stage matching network designed for 1 MHz and 100 W operation.