Dual-band rectenna for ambient RF energy harvesting at GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz

This paper presents a novel dual-band rectenna for RF energy harvesting system. This rectenna is created from a dual-band antenna and a dual-band rectifier which operates at GSM bands (900 MHz and 1800 MHz). The printed monopole antenna is miniaturized by two meander-lines. The received signal from the receiving antenna is rectified by a voltage doubler using Schottky diode SMS-7630. The rectifier is optimized for low input power level of −20dBm using harmonic balance. Prototype is designed and fabricated. The simulation is validated by measurement with power conversion efficiency of 20% and 40.8% (in measurement) at the input power level of −20dBm. The proposed rectenna has output voltage from 183–415 mV. From the measured results, this rectenna provides the possibility to harvest the ambient electromagnetic energy for powering low-power electronic devices.