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Class-D Audio Amplifiers

Class-D audio amplifier is a mini power system! It combines the dynamics of analog, mixed-signal and power IC!

In our lab, we work on Class-D amplifiers in the following aspects:

  • Low EMI automotive multi-level Class-D audio amplifiers 

  • Feedback-after-LC Class-D amplifier for LC filter nonlinearity compensation and small passive components

  • Digital-input and digital-intensive Class-D amplifiers

  • Low-power Class-D audio amplifier for hearing aids and true blue tooth applications.

  • Class-D audio amplifier for piezoelectric speaker driver

Projects

On-going

We have multiple on-going Class-D amplifiers projects running, stay tuned!

Closed

Low-EMI high-performance Class-D audio amplifiers

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Key publications:

  1. H. Zhang, M. Berkhout, K. A. A. Makinwa and Q. Fan, "A 120.9-dB DR Digital-Input Capacitively Coupled Chopper Class-D Audio Amplifier," in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 58, no. 12, pp. 3470-3480, Dec. 2023, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2023.3318731. (Invited paper)

  2. H. Zhang, M. Berkhout, K. A. A. Makinwa and Q. Fan, "A 121.4-dB DR Capacitively Coupled Chopper Class-D Audio Amplifier," in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 57, no. 12, pp. 3736-3745, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2022.3207907. (Invited paper)

  3. H. Zhang, N. N. M. Rozsa, M. Berkhout and Q. Fan, "A Chopper Class-D Amplifier for PSRR Improvement Over the Entire Audio Band," in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 57, no. 7, pp. 2035-2044, July 2022, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2022.3161136. (Invited paper)

  4. H. Zhang, M. Berkhout, K. A.A. Makinwa and Q. Fan, "A -121.5-dB THD Class-D Audio Amplifier With 49-dB LC Filter Nonlinearity Suppression," in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC), doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2021.3125526. (Invited paper)

  5. H. Zhang, S. Karmakar, L. J. Breems, Q. Sandifort, M. Berkhout, K. A.A. Makinwa, Q. Fan, “A High-Linearity and Low-EMI Multilevel Class-D Amplifier,”  in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC), vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 1176-1185, April 2021, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2020.3043815. (Invited paper)

  6. Huajun Zhang, Haochun Fan, Miao Zhang, Marco Berkhout, Qinwen Fan, “A -106.3dB THD+N Feedback-After-LC Class-D Audio Amplifier Employing Current Feedback to Enable 530kHz LC-Filter Cut-Off Frequency,” IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), 2024

  7. Huajun Zhang*, Mingshuang Zhang*, Mengying Chen, Arthur Admiraal, Miao Zhang, Marco Berkhout, Qinwen Fan, “A 121.7dB DR and -109.0dB THD+N Filterless Digital-Input Class-D Amplifier with an HV Multibit IDAC Using Tri-level Output and Employing a Transition-Rate-Balanced Bidirectional RTDEM Scheme,” IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), 2024

  8. H. Zhang, M. Berkhout, K. A. A. Makinwa and Q. Fan, "3.1 A 120.9dB DR, -111.2dB THD+N Digital-Input Capacitively-Coupled Chopper Class-D Audio Amplifier," 2023 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), San Francisco, CA, USA, 2023, pp. 54-56, doi: 10.1109/ISSCC42615.2023.10067400.

  9. Huajun Zhang, Marco Berkhout, Kofi A. A. Makinwa and Qinwen Fan, " A 121.4 dB DR -109.8 dB THD+N Capacitively-Coupled Chopper Class-D Audio Amplifier," IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), 2022, pp. 484-485.

  10.  Huajun Zhang, Nuriel Rosza, Marco Berkhout, and Qinwen Fan, “A −109.1 dB/−98 dB THD/THD+N chopper class-D amplifier with >83.7 dB PSRR over the entire audio band,” IEEE European Solid-State Circuits Conference (ESSCIRC), 2021, pp. 395-398, doi: 10.1109/ESSCIRC53450.2021.9567786. (Best Student Paper Award 2022)

  11. Huajun Zhang, Marco Berkhout, Kofi Makinwa and Qinwen Fan, "A −121.5 dB THD Class-D Audio Amplifier with 49 dB Suppression of LC Filter Nonlinearity and Robust to +/−30% LC Filter Spread,"  2021 Symposium on VLSI Circuits, 2021, pp. 1-2, doi: 10.23919/VLSICircuits52068.2021.9492441.

  12. Huajun Zhang, Shoubhik Karmakar, Lucien Breems, Quino Sandifort, Marco Berkhout, Kofi Makinwa, Qinwen Fan, “A− 107.8 dB THD+ N Low-EMI Multi-Level Class-D Audio Amplifier,” 2020 IEEE Symposium on VLSI Circuits, 2020, pp. 1-2, doi: 10.1109/VLSICircuits18222.2020.9162793.

  13. Shoubhik Karmakar, Huajun Zhang, Robert Van Veldhoven, Lucien Breems, Marco Berkhout, Qinwen Fan, Kofi AA Makinwa, “A 28W -108.9dB/-102.2dB THD/THD+N Hybrid ∆Σ-PWM Class-D Audio Amplifier with 91% Peak Efficiency and Reduced EMI Emission,” 2020 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), 2020, pp. 350-352, doi: 10.1109/ISSCC19947.2020.9063001.

  14. ​1.      S. Karmakar, H. Zhang, R. van Veldhoven, L. J. Breems, M. Berkhout, Q. Fan, K. A.A. Makinwa, “A 28-W,− 102.2-dB THD+ N Class-D Amplifier Using a Hybrid ΔΣM-PWM Scheme,”  in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC), vol. 55, no. 12, pp. 3146-3156, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2020.3023874. (Invited paper)

Closed

Piezoelectric Class-D driver

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Key Publications:

1.      S. Karmakar, M. Berkhout, K. A. A. Makinwa and Q. Fan, "A −91 dB THD+N, Class-D Piezoelectric Speaker Driver Using Dual Voltage/Current Feedback for Resistor-Less LC Resonance Damping," in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 57, no. 12, pp. 3726-3735, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2022.3207386. (Invited paper)

2.      Shoubhik Kamarkar, Marco Berkhout, Kofi A.A. Makinwa and Qinwen Fan, “A -91 dB THD+N, Resistor-Less Class-D Piezoelectric Speaker Driver using a Dual Voltage/ Current Feedback for LC Resonance Damping,” IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), 2021, pp. 488-489.

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