AbstractAn interleaved pulse‐width modulation (PWM) converter with less power switches is presented in this paper. The buck type of active clamp circuit is used to recycle the energy stored in the leakage inductor of a transformer. The zero voltage switching (ZVS) turn‐on of power switches is realized by the resonance during the transition interval of power switches. At the secondary side of transformers, two full‐wave rectifiers with dual‐output configuration are connected in parallel to reduce the current stresses of the secondary windings of transformers. In the proposed converter, power switches can accomplish two functions of the interleaved PWM modulation and active clamp feature at the same time. Therefore, the circuit components in the proposed converter are less than that of the conventional interleaved ZVS forward converter. The operation principle and system analysis of the proposed converter are provided in detail. Experimental results for a 280 W prototype operated at 100 kHz are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed converter. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.