Low-scale HV Amplifier for driving thin-film DE Transducers

Abstract:
The authors present a low-scale linear high voltage amplifier capable of providing a thin-film dielectric elastomer transducer with voltages up to 940V at currents up to 25 mA. The power electronics’ size and cost are significantly reduced compared to conventional designs by using only two HV semiconductors and general-purpose electronic components. The amplifier is optimized for applications requiring high peak power and low quiescent current. Using a laboratory prototype, the authors examine the amplifier’s static and dynamic behavior under different load and excitation scenarios.