Design optimization of CMOS control circuit for integrated photovoltaic power transfer

Abstract

A CMOS control circuit for an integrated photovoltaic (PV) power transfer/harvesting platform is optimized. The proposed PV power transfer/harvesting platform is based on the concept of charging a small PV current in a capacitor and operating a target circuit intermittently. This architecture is suitable for various types of implantable or Internet of Things (IoT) devices. To realize the integration of PV cells on a CMOS chip, we need to improve the performance of the CMOS control circuit. We refined a self-powered voltage detector circuit in the CMOS control circuit to comply with small-current operation and improved the adjustability of the switching voltages. We describe a strategy and experimentally obtained results of the design optimization.