Christopher M. Dougherty
Papers
4
Total Citations
42
H-Index
4
About
Christopher M. Dougherty is a leading researcher in the development of miniature power electronics, with a primary focus on enabling technologies for micro-robotic and micro-aerial vehicle (MAV) platforms. His work addresses the critical challenge of power delivery at the millimeter and milligram scale, where conventional power supplies are too large and inefficient. Dougherty’s major contributions include the design of fully-integrated, high-voltage switched-capacitor converters, most notably a 10 V step-up piezo drive stage fabricated in 0.13 μm CMOS. This innovative design, which uses nested-bootstrapped switch cells to achieve a 3.3 V to 10 V conversion, was specifically created to drive the piezo actuators of a 2 mm wing micro-robotic flying insect, demonstrating a practical path toward autonomous flight at the insect scale. His work has garnered significant attention, with his most-cited paper accumulating 17 citations. Beyond circuit design, Dougherty has explored both MEMS-based and switched-capacitor approaches for miniaturized power supplies, consistently framing his research within the broader context of enabling autonomous, bug-sized robots. His contributions are foundational for researchers working on power-constrained, mobile microsystems.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Power considerations for MAST platforms14 citations · 2010
- 3Towards miniature step-up power converters for mobile microsystems7 citations · 2011
- 4