Circuit simulator compatible model for the ring-dot piezoelectric transformer

A lumped-element equivalent circuit model for the ring-dot piezoelectric transformer (PT) is derived based on a one-dimensional analysis of the radial vibration mode. Initially, equations for the magnitudes of force, vibration velocity at the boundaries of each section of the device are derived based on the piezoelectric constitutive equations and using Kirchhoff plate theory. Similarly, equations for the amplitudes of input and output currents are derived from the electric displacement field and Gauss’ law. From this analytical approach, an equivalent circuit model is developed and, using a Taylor expansion, approximated as the Mason equivalent circuit. A key contribution of this work is the development of a circuit simulator compatible model which can be used by electronic engineers, without in-depth knowledge of the underlying material science, to design ring-dot PTs for power conversion applications. The resulting model is verified against both COMSOL finite element simulations and experimental impedance measurements. Compared to COMSOL, the model estimates the resonant circuit elements to within 1% and the input and output capacitance are estimated to within 10%. Experimental results match the simulation to within 10% for most parameters, and 1% for resonant frequency.