Our research group aims to make a significant contribution in the areas of power management and power conversion. We aim to enable SMPC makers and users to implement SMPCs which are lighter, more efficient, more reliable, less expensive, and compatible with future performance requirements.

Switch-mode power converters (SMPCs) are now an integral component part in a wide range of electronic applications because of a. their inherently high power conversion efficiency  and b. their scalability for SoC integration. Portable electronic devices (such as laptops, smart phones, digital cameras) particularly benefit, as SMPCs extend the lifetime of the batteries and the availability of the device. However SMPCs are expected to work reliably and cost little. They are further expected to follow the continuing miniaturisation trend for SoC integration. Higher levels of SMPC integration can be achieved in a number of ways - mainly by incorporating multi-rail/multi-phase architectures, low power cost effective analogue-to-digital conversion (ADCs), more efficient digital pulse width modulators (DPWMs) and more intelligent digital control. All building blocks need to be extremely robust, as they are exposed to adverse SMPC environmental conditions, such as operational temperature swings, and strong electro-magnetic interferences. The research at the CSRC at the University of Limerick (now part of MCCI) currently focuses on each of these key building blocks to achieve miniaturisation of SMPCs through increased levels of integration.