Computationally efficient high-frequency circuit models of long cables are necessary for accurate analysis of electromagnetic interference in power converter systems. A methodology for behavioral modeling of multiconductor power cables based on measurements is presented in this paper. The procedure is founded on and extended from the techniques developed and used for modeling very large scale integration interconnects and printed circuit board transmission lines in packaging and microwave engineering. The methodology accurately captures the frequency-dependent behavior in the conductive emission range, including dc, using a vector-fitting rational-function approximation and results in stable, causal, and passive equivalent circuits. The models are validated by comparing the results obtained using simulations with the measurements in both frequency and time domain.

Inductive power transfer (IPT) has been proposed as an alternative charging technology for electric and hybrid electric vehicles (EV/HEV). Because the low magnetic coupling of the transmission coils potentially limits the achievable transmission efficiency η, the losses in the inductors are of key importance in the design of an IPT system. The available area for the receiver coil is usually limited due to the vehicle construction and thus a high area related power density α of the IPT system is needed. In this paper, it is shown that η is maximized if the resonant compensation is chosen such that only active power is transmitted through the air gap. It is shown that a physical boundary termed the η-α-Pareto front exists, where a trade-off between high efficiency and high area related power density is encountered. A thermal model is used to include the effect of an increased winding temperature into the efficiency calculation. The comparison of the η-α-Pareto fronts of three example designs shows that the shielding of the inductor yields a lower η due to additional losses in the shielding materials and that a higher transmission frequency does not necessarily lead to an efficiency improvement.

Reliable simulations of electromagnetic interference (EMI) in power electronic systems ask for accurate models of long power electronic cables. A methodology for creating frequency dependent circuit models of long cables is presented in this paper. It is based on the techniques developed and used for modeling VLSI interconnects and PCB transmission lines in packaging and microwave engineering. A measurement procedure for characterizing experimentally the power cables is explained in detail. Stable, causal, and passive equivalent circuits are then extracted and verified by comparing the simulation results with frequency- and time-domain measurements.

Accurate statistical modeling and simulation are keys to ensure that integrated circuits (ICs) meet the specifications over the stochastic variations that are inherent in IC manufacturing technologies. Backward propagation of variance (BPV) is a general technique for statistical modeling of semiconductor devices. However, the BPV approach assumes that statistical fluctuations are not large so that variations in device electrical performances can be modeled as linear functions of process parameters. With technology scaling, device performance variability over manufacturing variations becomes nonlinear. In this paper, we extend the BPV technique to take into account these nonlinearities. We present the theory behind the technique and apply it to specific examples. We also investigate the effectiveness of several possible solution algorithms.

In the above titled paper (ibid., vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 1428-1432, Sep. 09), there was a typo in (1), and (10) and (11) were incorrect of there is more than one forward propagation of variance (FPV) variable. The correct expressions for these three equations are presented here.