An 860MHz - 1960MHz Multi-band Multi-stage Rectifier for RF Energy Harvesting in 130nm CMOS

A multi-frequency-band RF energy harvesting circuit with high PCE over a wide input power range and a frequency range of 860MHz - 1960MHz, to provide a 1 V output is presented. The design was implemented in 130nm CMOS technology. A multi-band input to the rectifier offers good ambient RF range for energy harvesting. The RF energy harvesting circuit comprises of two different paths separating the low and high input powers. A switching logic is designed to turnon the low input power path. The circuit performance is evaluated in terms of the power conversion efficiency (PCE). The proposed circuit has a PCE=27% @ 1900 MHz and PCE=20% @ 900 MHz. It presents a sensitivity of -14 dB (for PCE=10%) and a shows a PCE = 15% in the wide input range of -12 dBm <; P
_in
<; +3 dBm. The design shows promise in 3G/4G/5G applications of RFIDbased connected devices and wireless sensor networks.