An RF Energy Harvester with MPPT Operating Across a Wide Range of Available Input Power

In this paper we present the design and simulation results of an RF energy harvesting circuit that operates across a wide range of available input power, from -27 dBm to 6 dBm. The system comprises an adaptive impedance matching network, a single-stage cross-connected differential rectifier, a start-up charge pump, an adaptive buck-boost converter and a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) circuit. The MPPT circuit controls the switching frequency of the buck-boost converter and configures the impedance matching network, optimizing the interfaces between the rectifier and antenna and between the rectifier and the storage capacitor, thereby guaranteeing that maximum power is being harvested. The system is designed in a standard 0.18 pm CMOS technology. The peak efficiency is 49.1% at an available input power of -18 dBm and signal frequency of 403.5 MHz.Accepted author manuscriptBio-Electronic