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Theoretical analysis and optimal design of LLC resonant converter

Conference Paper · October 2007

DOI: 10.1109/EPE.2007.4417639 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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 Theoretical Analysis and Optimal Design of LLC Resonant Converter

Jee-hoon Jung* and Joong-gi Kwon

SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd./Digital Printing Division
Maetan 3-dong, Yeongtong-gu
Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Tel.: +82 / (31) – 200.4532.
Fax: +82 / (31) – 200.6868.
E-Mail: jeehoon.jung@samsung.com
URL: http://www.samsung.com

Keywords
Power supply, Resonant converter, ZVS converters, Soft switching

Abstract
A LLC resonant topology is analyzed to derive efficiency and cost optimal design for wide input
ranges and load variations. In the LLC converter, a wide range of output power is controlled with only
a narrow variation in operating frequency since this converter is capable of both step-up and step-
down. In addition, ZVS turn-on and ZCS turn-off of MOSFETs and diode rectifiers can be achieved
over the entire operating range. Finally, the inductance of a resonant tank in the primary side can be
merged in the main power transformer by resonant inductance and the absence of the secondary filter
inductor makes low voltage stress on secondary rectifier and cost-effective property. DC
characteristics and input-output response in frequency domain are obtained with the equivalent circuit
derived by first harmonic approximation (FHA) method. In addition, operational principles are
explained to show the ZVS and ZCS conditions of primary switches and output diode rectifiers,
respectively. Efficiency and cost optimal design rules of the LLC resonant converter are derived by a
primary resonant network, operating frequency, and dead time duration. Proposed analysis and
designation are proved by experimental results with a 400W LLC resonant converter.

Introduction
Although resonant power converters have advantages of high efficiency and low noise, the series
resonant converter (SRC) suffers from several limitations. First, the converter is theoretically
incapable of regulating under unloaded condition. Second, wide frequency variation is necessary to
provide regulation over full load range. Third, at a light load, small resonant current makes that zero
voltage switching (ZVS) is lost. Finally, output voltage regulation at a light load is difficult in the
controller design. In addition, for a parallel resonant converter (PRC), circulating energy will hurt the
high line or light load efficiency.

Now a day, a LLC resonant topology is highlighted since this converter overcomes several drawbacks
of conventional resonant converters with its simple structure. The advantages of the LLC resonant
topology are:
• Output regulation over wide line and load variations with small variations of switching
frequency.
• ZVS capability for entire load range, low turn-off current, therefore the switching loss is very
low.
• Multi-resonant network makes that the magnetic components can be easily integrated into one
magnetic core. As a result, the leakage inductance of a transformer can participate in resonant
network.
 • There are low voltage stress and zero current switching (ZCS) on secondary rectifier. No
secondary filter inductor makes low voltage stress on rectifier diodes limited to two times
output voltage. In addition, ZCS of secondary diodes removes its reverse recovery problem.

Among several LLC resonant topologies, a LLC-SRC has been largely overlooked, since the addition
of magnetizing current in the primary resonant circuit can be of substantial benefit. In reference [1],
above resonance operation of the LLC-SRC in buck mode is studied. The boost properties of this
topology and necessity conditions of output regulation with narrow frequency range were suggested in
reference [2]. The discussion of multitude topologies, optimum performance, and fundamental
analysis were proposed by other papers [3-4]. However, the analytical details and optimal design of
the LLC topology have not been provided.

In this paper, the operational principles and DC characteristics of the LLC resonant converter are
discussed. Using first harmonic approximation (FHA), the equivalent circuit of the LLC topology is
derived to obtain input-output response in frequency domain. The ZVS and ZCS condition of primary
switches and output rectifiers are analyzed for operating the converter with high efficiency. In addition,
efficiency and cost optimal designations are suggested to develop the converter. All analytical details
and design rules are proved by proper experimental results with a 400W LLC resonant converter.

Analysis of LLC resonant topology

DC characteristics
Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram of the LLC resonant converter. The converter has the same form as
SRC except magnetizing inductance, Lm. By the Lm, the characteristic and operation of this converter
are somewhat different from SRC. The LLC resonant converter has three passive resonant components,
Lr, Lm, and Cr. Without the Cr, this converter is the same as a half bridge configuration. The resonant
capacitor Cr makes automatic flux balancing and high resonant frequency with the resonant inductance
Lr. Another low resonant frequency is induced by the Cr and (Lm + Lr).

vS1 S1

DS1 CS1
Vin ip T Do1 io

Lr
im Co Ro Vo
vS2 S2
Lm
Cr Do2
DS2 CS2

v Cr

Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the LLC resonant converter

Without complex traditional analysis methods, the Fundamental Element Simplification (FES) method
can simplify the analysis of converters. In fact, only the fundamental frequency component of the
voltage and current are used to transfer energy. In the LLC resonant converter, this is not an accurate
assumption because the converter has two resonant frequencies and they both play important role in
converter operation. Fig. 2 shows the DC gain characteristic of the LLC resonant converter under load
variations. Two resonant frequencies, fr1 and fr2 are defined as follows:
1
f r1 = , (1)
2π Lr Cr
1
fr 2 = . (2)
2π ( Lm + Lr ) Cr
In addition, the quality factor Qs is derived as
 Lr Cr Z r1
Qs = 2
= (3)
n Ro n 2 Ro
where n = Np/Ns, Np and Ns are the turn numbers of primary and secondary windings, Zr1 is the
resonant impedance of the fr1, and Ro = Vo/Io, respectively.

From the DC characteristic of the LLC converter, the gain peak is moving by load variations. As load
becomes light, this peak moves close to the resonant frequency of the fr2. When load becomes heavier,
the peak moves to the resonant frequency of the fr1, and gain at the fr1 is very close to unity
independent of load variation. In addition, the gain characteristic can be either boost type or buck type,
which means the buck-boost converter. From the shape of the characteristic, when load is light, the
circuit characteristic is more like the PRC. In contrary, the characteristic eventually changes to the
SRC at heavy load.

In Fig. 2, Region 1 is SRC operation region. When switching is higher than the fr1, the converter is
running at this region. The magnetizing inductance does not participate in the resonance and ZVS
condition is naturally assured. Region 2 is multi-resonant converter (MRC) region. Between the fr1 and
fr2, the load condition will determine the operation of converter under ZVS and ZCS conditions. In this
region, the energy stored in the magnetic components causes ZVS for the opposite MOSFET. Region
3 is overloaded region. In this area, the converter enters to the ZCS mode. In general, LLC resonant
converter is designed to operate in Region 1 and 2 because of output regulation and ZVS operation. To
ensure ZVS operation, the operating range of this converter is above the fr2. Therefore, the Lr and Cr
are chosen to ensure at heavy load. The choice of the L m determines the switching frequency range and
MOSFET turn-off current. The smaller Lm is selected, the more narrow operating range is set.
However, MOSFET turn-off current will be higher which increases switching loss.

Fig. 2: DC gain characteristic under loads variations

Analysis of equivalent model
The operating point of the LLC resonant converter depends on the power demand. For low power, the
switching frequency is higher than the fr2. In contrary, at high power, the control loop reduces the
switching frequency and approaches the fr2 to deliver the necessary amount of current to the load.
Hence, near the fr2, it can be assumed that the circuit operates as a bandpass filter for the square wave
excitation. It is FHA and consists of replacing the square wave input by its fundamental value:
2V
V f = in (4)
π
where Vin is the AC input peak voltage and Vf is the fundamental component of the input voltage,
respectively. Fig. 3 shows AC equivalent circuit of the LLC resonant converter

To use the FHA, the components of the secondary side should be transferred to the primary side, for
example, the output resistance in the view point of the primary side Rac. The AC source delivers
current to the equivalent load resistor Rac which can be obtained as
8n2 Ro
Rac = . (5)
ηπ 2
From (5), the relationship between the output voltage actually applied across the Ro and the input
voltage Vin can be derived. The average output current Io can be expressed with the voltage across Ro,
Vop as
ηπ Vop
Io = . (6)
4 Ro
In addition, the output DC voltage can be derived from (6) and the turn ratio of transformer n as
ηπ Vop
Vo = . (7)
4n
Cr Lr

Vf Lm Rac Vop

Fig. 3: AC equivalent circuit of the LLC resonant converter

The input-output transfer ratio of the FHA model TFHA can be expressed as
Vop 2n Vo
TFHA = = , (8)
Vf η Vin
and TFHA(s) can be derived by the Laplace transformation in the s-domain as
sLm & Rac
TFHA ( s ) = −1
. (9)
sLr + ( sCr ) + sLm & Rac
Equation (9) can be transferred to frequency domain by the equivalence of s = jω as
ω2
− Rac
ωm2
TFHA (ω ) = (10)
 ω2  ω2  ω2 
 1 − 2  Rac − 2 Rac + jω  1 − 2  Lm
 ωr 2  ωm  ωr1 
-1/2
where ωm=(LmCr) , ωr1=2πfr1, and ωr2=2πfr2, respectively. Higher gain of TFHA is obtained as the
quality factor decreases, which means that the load decreases. Therefore, the turn ratio of transformer
should be determined under the full load condition. At the no-load condition, Rac=∞, the input-output
ratio simplifies to a simple impedance divider as
Vo η Lm η Lm
= ⋅  ⋅ . (11)
( )
−1
Vin 2n L + L − ω 2C 2n Lm + Lr
m r r

This represents a design factor when selecting the Lm and Lr if the no-load condition can occur.
Operational principles
Fig. 4 and 5 show theoretical waveforms and operating modes of the LLC resonant converter,
respectively. It is assumed that the converter is working at switching frequency between the fr2 and fr1.
This operating point is inside Region 2 in Fig. 2. The operation of a switching cycle can be divided
into six modes, however, the converter operates under only four modes when the switching frequency
fs equals to the fr1. There are no Mode 3 and Mode 6 under the four mode case.

Mode 1: This mode begins when the S2 is turned off. Already the S1 is turned off, and it is so called the
dead-time duration. At this moment, the primary current ip is negative, and it will flow through the DS1,
which creates ZVS condition for the S1.

Mode 2: When the ip flow through the S1, it begins to rise and will force the secondary diode Do1
conduct, and the iD1 begins to increase. In addition, at this moment, the transformer sees the output
voltage on the secondary side, the magnetic energy of the Lm is build up linearly. Therefore, the Lm
does not participate in the resonant operation during this period. Assuming negligible dead time,
V
i p ( t ) = i p ( tb ) cos ωr1 ( t − tb ) + b sin ωr1 ( t − tb ) (12)
Z r1
vS1 vS1
vS2 0 vS2 0

ip ip
0 0
im im

iS1 iS1
0 0
iS2 iS2

vCr VCr vCr VCr

iD1 iD1
0 t 0 t
iD2 iD2
Mode : 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mode : 1 2 4 5
ta tb tc td te tf tg ta tb td te tg
(a) Six mode case (b) Four mode case
Fig. 4: Theoretical waveforms of the LLC resonant converter

vS1 S1 vS1 S1

DS1 CS1 DS1 CS1

ip Do1 ip Do1
Vd T io Vd T io

Llk Llk iD1

im Co Ro Vo im Co Ro Vo
vS2 S2 vS2 S2
Lm Lm
Cb Do2 Cb Do2
DS2 CS2 DS2 CS2

vCb vCb
(a) Mode 1 (b) Mode 2

vS1 S1 vS1 S1

DS1 CS1 DS1 CS1

ip Do1 Do1
Vd T io Vd T io
Llk Llk
im Co Ro Vo im Co Ro Vo
vS2 S2 vS2 S2
Lm ip Lm
Cb Do2 Cb Do2
DS2 CS2 DS2 CS2

vCb vCb

(c) Mode 3 (d) Mode 4

vS1 S1 vS1 S1

DS1 CS1 DS1 CS1

Vd T Do1 io Do1
Vd T io
Llk Llk
im Co Ro Vo im Co Ro Vo
vS2 S2 ip vS2 S2 ip
Lm Lm
Cb Do2 Cb Do2
DS2 CS2 DS2 CS2
vCb iD2 vCb

(e) Mode 5 (f) Mode 6

Fig. 5: Operating modes of LLC resonant converter
where ip(tb)=-n(Vo+VDf)Lm-1(Ts/4-∆/2), Vb=Vin-VCr(tb)-n(Vo+VDf), Δ=td-tc=tg-tf, ωr1=2πfr1, VDf is the
forward voltage drop of output diode rectifiers, and VCr is the voltage across the resonant capacitor,
respectively. In addition, the magnetizing current im can be obtained as
(
im ( t ) = im ( tb ) +
)
n Vo + VDf (
( t − tb ) =
)
n Vo + VDf  T ∆
t − tb − s +  (13)
Lm Lm  4 2

where im(tb)=ip(tb) and Ts is the switching period, respectively. At this mode, the circuit works like a
SRC with the resonant components Lr and Cr. This mode ends when the ip is the same as the im and
output current reaches zero. When the converter operates at fs=fr1, the Δ becomes zero.

Mode 3: At the end of Mode 2, the magnetizing and primary currents are same. The output diode
current, iD1 becomes zero. Both the output rectifier diode Do1 and Do2 are reverse biased. The
transformer secondary voltage is lower than the output voltage, and the output is separated from the
transformer. During this period, since the output is separated from the primary side, the Lm participates
in the resonant operation. It will form a resonant tank of the Lm in series with the Lr and Cr. Therefore,
the primary current can be calculated as
VC ( tc )
i p ( t ) = i p ( tc ) Z r 2 Cr cos ωr 2 ( t − tc ) + r sin ωr 2 ( t − tc ) (14)
Zr 2
where ip(tc)=-ip(tb), ωr2=2πfr2, Zr2={(Lm+Lr)/Cr}1/2, respectively.

Mode 4 ~ Mode 6: Operation modes repeat every half switching cycle with three modes. Operational
principles of Mode 4 to 6 are similar to Mode 1 to 3. The operations are same as analyzed above with
focusing on the switch S2 and the output diode Do2. At Mode 5, the primary current is
V
i p ( t ) = i p ( te ) cos ωr1 ( t − te ) − r sin ωr1 ( t − te ) (15)
Z r1
where ip(te)=n(Vo+VDf)Lm-1(Ts/4-Δ/2), and Vr=VCr(te)- n(Vo+VDf), respectively. In addition, the
magnetizing current can be calculated as
(
im ( t ) = im ( te ) −
)
n Vo + VDf ( )
( t − te ) =
n Vo + VDf  T
s ∆
− t + te −  (16)
Lm Lm 
 4 2
where im(te)= ip(te).

Optimal design of the LLC resonant converter

Design of the resonant components such as Lr, Lm, and Cr is always compromise among maximum
load changes, maximum acceptable operating frequency excursion, maximum input voltage range,
circulating energy in the resonant circuit, and short circuit characteristic. The optimal operating point
of the converter can be reached for given input voltage and load resistance. Therefore, in practice, the
converter is usually designed using these operating conditions such as high resonant frequency and
maximum DC-link voltage. It is very important in the LLC topology design that the manufacturing
tolerance of the inductors and capacitors should be higher than standard production.

The best way to operate the LLC resonant converter on the efficiency point of view is to let it work
directly at the resonant frequency fr1. Under this condition, the switching loss is minimized, and the
circulating energy in the resonant network is also low. This optimal operating point can be reached
only for one given input voltage and load resistance value. Thus, in the practice, the LLC resonant
converter usually designed under the fr1 for a full load and maximum DC-link voltage. When the load
is increased or the input voltage is decreased, the operating frequency comes to be decreased by the
feedback loop to keep the output voltage regulated. It is shown in Fig. 2.

The ZVS operation of MOSFETs and the ZCS operation of output rectifiers are very important to the
efficiency-optimal design of the LLC resonant converter. In Fig. 4, the primary current is always
negative at ta, which makes the S1 to operate under the ZVS condition. In addition, the S2 always
operates under the ZVS condition because of the positive ip(td). Therefore, the ZVS condition of two
power switches depends on the magnetizing inductance Lm and dead time duration tdt as follows:

tdt ≥
{
2Vd ⋅ max CS1 , CS2 } = 16C . (17)
S f s ,max Lm
{ }
min i p ( ta ) , i p ( td )
From (17), the limitation of the magnetizing inductance can be derived as
tdt
Lm ≤ . (18)
16CS f s ,max
Inequality (18) shows that small Lm can guarantee the ZVS of main switches. However, small Lm also
increases the conduction loss of MOSFETs, transformer windings, and output rectifiers in the primary
and secondary side. Assuming that the converter operates under the four mode case, and the tdt and VDf
are negligible, equation (12) can be reformed as
i p ( t ) = 2 I p ,rms sin (ωr1t + φ ) (19)
where Ip,rms is the rms value of the primary current ip and
 nVoTs 
φ = sin −1  . (20)
 4 2 Lm I p , rms 
 
In addition, the average output current Io can be calculated as
V 2n Ts 2 2n Ts 2
Io = o =
Ro Ts 0 ∫ i p ( t ) − im ( t ) dt = ∫
Ts 0
2 I p , rms sin (ωr1t + φ ) dt . (21)

From (20) and (21), the square value of the Ip,rms is as follows:
Vo2  nTs   π  
2 2
2
I p , rms =   +  . (22)
8  2 Lm   nRo  
 
In addition, from (13), (21) and (22), the square value of the diode rms current in the secondary side is
derived as
Vo2  5π 2 − 48  nTs  
2

( )
2
2
I D ,rms =    + nR o
. (23)
16  12π 2   Lm  
 
Equations (22) and (23) show that the higher Lm induces the lower conduction loss in the primary and
secondary sides of the converter. In Fig. 4, the switching frequency fs must be lower than the resonant
frequency fr1 for the ZCS operation of output rectifiers. The limitation of fs is as follows:
f s ≤ f r1 . (24)
Therefore, efficiency-optimal Lm can be derived from (18) and (24) as
t dt
Lm = . (25)
16CS f r1
In addition, from (12), (19), and (22), the VCr(tb) can be obtained as
  π2 n 2Ts2  
12

VCr ( tb ) = Vin − Vo  n + Z r1  2 2 −  . (26)

  8n Ro 32 L2m  
 

The quality factor and inductance ration of the converter is selected by concerning the input voltage
range, maximum load, and gain curve of the converter. The turn ratio of the transformer is given by
the relation of the input and output voltage as
Np Vin ,max
n= = . (27)
(
N s 2 Vo + VDf )
The primary turns count can be calculated by the relationship of inductance and magnetic flux as
Vin ,max
Np = (28)
∆Bmax f s ,min Ae
where ∆Bmax is the maximum flux density excursion of transformer and Ae is the core effective area,
respectively. In addition, the secondary turn number, Ns can be calculated by (27) and (28). In the
selection of the resonant component values, following concepts are important to the converter
efficiency and operating range. First, the quality factor, Qs of the resonant network will significantly
affect the gain characteristic and operating range. If the Qs is high, the gain characteristic will be
narrow and the operating range will be low. However, if the Qs is too high, the characteristic
impedance will be low and the converter operates under poor efficiency. Second, the inductance ratio,
k = Lm/Lr, will also significantly influence the shape of gain characteristics and ZVS region borders.
Therefore, the Qs and k should be selected by the simulation or calculation of the converter
characteristics. The resonant capacitor Cr can be derived from (3) as
1
Cr = . (29)
2π f r1 Z r1
In addition, the resonant inductance, Lr is also calculated by the Lm and k. Table I shows the design
parameters of a 400W LLC resonant converter. Under the conditions of Table I, the cost-optimal Lm
equals 200uH which is calculated by (25). However, the Lm is selected as 175uH because of the
production margin for stable ZVS operation of MOSFETs.
Table I: Design of a 400W LLC resonant converter
Parameters Value
Rated Output Power 400W
Input Voltage Range 180 ~ 270Vac
Output Load Condition 24V/16A
1st Resonant Frequency 104.7kHz
2nd Resonant Frequency 44.4kHz
Inductance Ratio 5
Quality Factor 0.25
Transformer Turn Ratio 8
Primary Turn Number 16
Magnetizing Inductance 175uH
Resonant Inductance 35uH
Resonant Capacitor 66nF
1st Resonant Impedance 23.0Ω
Dead Time Duration 300ns
MOSFET Output Capacitance 900pF

Fig. 6: A 400W LLC resonant converter

Fig. 6 shows a 400W LLC resonant converter. The size of the converter is 245(L) x 180(W) x 50(H)
mm3. The converter has two outputs, 24V and 5V. There are no additional inductive components
because of using a separate bobbin. It makes the coupling between the primary and secondary
windings to loose. The loosely coupled windings increase their leakage inductance which replaces
additional resonant inductors. Therefore, no resonant inductor makes the converter cost-optimal.
Experimental results
Fig. 7 shows experimental waveforms of the MOSFET drain-source voltage, primary current, resonant
capacitor voltage, and output diode current under load variations. In addition, Fig. 8 shows the
waveforms under input voltage variations. They show that the bigger the output load and input voltage
are, the higher the switching frequency becomes. The waveforms illustrate that the converter is well
operating under the soft switching condition, which is the evidence of good designation.

VS1

ip

vcr

io

(a) No load condition (0A) (b) Normal load condition (8A)

(c) Full load condition (16A)

Fig. 7: Converter waveforms under load variations (220Vac)

VS1

ip
vcr
io

(a) 180Vac (b) 270Vac

Fig. 8: Converter waveforms under input voltage variations (Full load)

 Fig. 9 shows the efficiency of the converter under load (at 220Vac) and input voltage variations (under
full load). High input voltage and heavy load condition derive the high efficiency operation of the
converter. In general, the resonant converter has higher efficiency than PWM converter. At high input
voltage, a PWM converter has small duty cycle, so the rms current is even higher than the resonant
converter, which means higher conduction loss. The ZVS of MOSFETs is achieved in the LLC
resonant converter; however, the PWM converter is not. In addition, the ZCS of output rectifiers
reduces their reverse recovery loss in the LLC resonant converter. The PWM converter should
suppress the leakage energy by the power consumption of the snubber circuit. In contrast, the LLC
resonant converter uses leakage and stray components as the resonant network, so the leakage energy
can be transferred to the output stage.

94 94

92 93

90 92

Efficiency [%]
E fficiency [% ]

88 91

86 90

89
84

88
82

87
80
180 200 220 230 250 270
50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
O utput P o w er [W ] Input Voltage [Vac]

(a) Efficiency vs Load (at 220Vac) (b) Efficiency vs Input voltage (under full load)

Fig. 9: Converter efficiency curve under load and input voltage variations

Conclusion
In this paper, the theoretical analysis and optimal design of the LLC resonant converter is proposed.
The characteristics and advantages of this converter are explained. In addition, the equivalent circuit
and operational principle are derived to analyze the LLC resonant converter. The ZVS and ZCS
conditions of MOSFETs and output rectifiers are derived by the equations of the primary current
waveform. The efficiency and cost optimal designations are suggested by focusing on the resonant
components and switching frequencies. From the experimental results obtained from the 400W SMPS
sample, the LLC resonant converter shows very high efficiency under the high input voltage and full
load condition.

References
[1] R. Liu and C.Q. Lee: The LLC-type series resonant converter-variable switching frequency control,
Proceedings of the 1989 32nd Midwest Symposium of Circuits and Systems Vol 1, pp. 509- 512
[2] F. Canales, P. Barbosa, and F.C. Lee: A wide input voltage and load output variations fixed-frequency ZVS
DC/DC LLC resonant converter for high-power application, 2002 37th IAS Annual Meeting of Industry
Applications Conference Vol 4, pp. 2306-2313
[3] J.F. Lazar and R. Martinelli: Steady-state analysis of the LLC series resonant converter, 2001 16th Annual
Meeting of Applied Power Electronics Conference Vol 2, pp. 728-735
[4] Y. Gu, L. Hang, U. Chen, Z. Lu, Z. Qian, and J. Li: A simple structure of LLC resonant DC-DC converter for
multi-output applications, 2005 20th Annual Meeting of Applied Power Electronics Conference Vol 3, pp. 1485-
1490

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