page_title: Buck converter
section_title: Non-ideal circuit
hierarchical_section_title: Buck converter / Concept / Non-ideal circuit
context_page_description: A buck converter is a DC-to-DC power converter which steps down voltage from its input to its output. It is a class of switched-mode power supply typically containing at least two semiconductors and at least one energy storage element, a capacitor, inductor, or the two in combination. To reduce voltage ripple, filters made of capacitors are normally added to such a converter's output and input.
  Switching converters provide much greater power efficiency as DC-to-DC converters than linear regulators, which are simpler circuits that lower voltages by dissipating power as heat, but do not step up output current.
  Buck converters can be highly efficient, making them useful for tasks such as converting a computer's main supply voltage down to lower voltages needed by USB, DRAM and the CPU.
context_section_description: The previous study was conducted with the following assumptions:
  The output capacitor has enough capacitance to supply power to the load (a simple resistance) without any noticeable variation in its voltage.
  The voltage drop across the diode when forward biased is zero
  No commutation losses in the switch nor in the diode
  These assumptions can be fairly far from reality, and the imperfections of the real components can have a detrimental effect on the operation of the converter.
caption: Fig. 7: Evolution of the output voltage of a buck converter with the duty cycle when the parasitic resistance of the inductor increases.
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