A ZVS PWM Half-Bridge Voltage Source Inverter With Active Clamping

This paper presents a zero-voltage (pulsewidth modulation) half-bridge inverter with active voltage clamping using only a single auxiliary switch. The structure is particularly simple and robust. It is very attractive for single-phase high-power applications. Switching losses are reduced due to implementation of the simple active snubber circuit that provides zero-voltage-switching conditions for all switches, which includes the auxiliary one. Its main features are simple modulation strategy, robustness, low weight and volume, low harmonic distortion of the output current, and high efficiency. The principle of operation for steady-state conditions, mathematical analysis, and experimental results from a laboratory prototype are presented.