An Improved Voltage Multiplier Structure and Parameter Optimization Method for High-Voltage, Low-Ripple Power Supplies

Abstract

Satellites for space gravitational wave detection missions require ultralow-noise, high-voltage power supplies. To meet this demand, this article presents an improved capacitor multiplier structure and a parameter selection procedure. The proposed structure introduces subtle modifications to the conventional capacitor multiplier circuit, achieving excellent performance in terms of ultralow-noise output voltage. First, an in-depth analysis of various voltage multiplier circuits is conducted, demonstrating that these circuits can fundamentally be transformed into one another through topological modifications. From a physical perspective, it is proven that the quadruple-voltage rectifier structure minimizes capacitor voltage stress under identical device count and voltage gain conditions. By extending this structure, a minimized high-voltage rectifier topology is derived. Using a specific converter as a case study, minor modifications are made to the minimized rectifier structure, and the time-domain expression for the capacitor voltage is derived. Furthermore, a method for optimizing the capacitor and resistor parameters in the circuit is proposed to balance power loss and output voltage ripple. The feasibility of the proposed converter is validated with a 1000 V prototype. Experimental results align with theoretical analyses, achieving an output voltage ripple of less than 0.15 at 1000 V output.