A 180-nW static power UWB IR transmitter front-end for energy harvesting applications

This paper presents a versatile, FCC compliant ultra-wideband impulse radio transmitter front-end (TFE) that performs well at a wide range of pulse repetition rates up to 105 MHz. The TFE delivers 2.2 pJ pulses with 6.7 % efficiency at 3.8 GHz center frequency. The leakage power is 180 nW from a 1.2 V supply. The TFE operates robustly with a variety of power sources, including a 6.5 cm2 photovoltaic array in office illumination. Along with the low static power consumption level, this feature makes the TFE suitable for energy harvesting applications. The TFE is fabricated in a 180 nm CMOS process.