The Analysis and Design of a Resonant Capacitively-Isolated Cockcroft-Walton Converter

Capacitive isolation is a potential alternative to magnetics-based isolation in emerging applications, such as in partial power processing converter topologies, and in applications where weight and component volume are limiting factors. This work presents a capacitively-isolated Cockcroft-Walton converter capable of isolation through the flying capacitors. Generalized equations for mid-range flying capacitor voltages and switch voltages for converters of even level count are detailed. Experimental results validate the topology and analysis with a hardware prototype demonstrating 120 V input, 93.87% efficiency, and up to 60 V of isolation.