Novel RF energy harvesting using Rectenna

Abstract

In this paper an experimental RF energy harvester using rectifying antenna (rectenna) to harvest ambient energy from cellular device operating at 900 MHz GSM band is proposed. The circuit is a combination of antenna and rectifying circuit using Schottky barrier diode for microwave (RF) to DC conversion. The performance results of the rectenna shows radiation efficiency of around 58.81%, gain of 3.9 dB and directivity of 5.972 dBi. The proposed rectenna design can prove to be a low cost device for wireless power transmission and RF energy harvesting. The prototype is fabricated with simulated and measured results in good agreement, having a return loss of 21 dB at frequency of around 885 MHz. The overall efficiency is enhanced by using ISS351-TB-E Schottky diode which is categorized by a low junction capacitance and a low threshold voltage to achieve higher conversion efficiency.