Design of compact dual-band RF rectifiers for wireless power transfer and energy harvesting

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a compact dual-band impedance matching network (DBIMN) for radio frequency (RF) rectifiers. The DBIMN is achieved with a single-stage T-type network, with only three segments of the transmission line. We investigate the closed-form design equations, as a design guideline of the DBIMN. In addition, we propose the design methodology of the rectifier using the DBIMN. For validation, we design two dual-band rectifiers (0.915 and 2.45 GHz), for different input power levels. The rectifier with high input power level, is designed for a wireless power transmission (WPT) system. With a 12 dBm input power, the measured power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) are 81.7 and 73.1% at the working frequencies. The PCEs becomes 69.2 and 64.1% (at -1 dBm input power) for the low-power input rectifier that can be used in an RF energy harvesting (RF-EH) system. The simulated and measured results match each other well. Compared with previous designs, the proposed designs have advantages in compactness and high efficiency.