Application of the Millimeter-Wave Discharge Induced in Gas to a Wireless Power Transfer System

In this study, an application of the millimeter-wave discharge to the wireless power transfer is proposed. The ionization front of the millimeter-wave discharge propagates backward to the incident beam. The electromotive force is generated by the ionization front propagation with a magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the propagation direction. The incident beam energy is converted into DC electric energy through the discharge without any rectifier circuit. Thus, the wireless power transfer system can be easily adapted to the high frequency, such as the millimeter-wave band. The energy conversion efficiency is estimated. A millimeter-wave discharge chamber is under development to verify the estimation.