The task of the power system engineer grows steadily more complex. At the level of individual PCBs, semiconductor devices – microprocessors, FPGAs and the like – demand a range of discrete voltage levels, frequently at around 1 V and at currents of tens of Amps. The physics of distributing power at these levels mandates regulation as close to the point-of-load as possible: I2R losses and minute but inescapable inductances are always poised to degrade the performance of low-voltage, high-current paths that see rapid step-changes in power demand. At the other end of the power-conversion...
