EMI Reduction via Spread Spectrum in DC/DC Converters: State of the Art, Optimization, and Tradeoffs

Spread spectrum is a technique introduced for mitigating electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems in many class of circuits. In this paper, with particular emphasis on switching DC/DC converters, we consider the most common and most efficient known spreading techniques, looking for spreading parameters that ensure the highest EMI reduction and the lowest performance reduction in the circuit where the spreading is applied. The result is an interesting tradeoff not only between EMI reduction and performance drop, but also on the EMI reduction itself when considering different EMI victim models. The proposed analysis is supported by measurements on two switching DC/DC converters: 1) based on pulse width modulation and 2) based on the resonant converter class.