A dual-band RF energy harvesting circuit using 4th order dual-band matching network

A novel compact rectifier for dual-band operation in the RF energy harvesting is presented. The circuit comprises a 4th order dual-band impedance matching and a single-series circuit with one double diode, both are integrating into a compact shape to occupy a small area of 30 × 35 mm. The merit of the proposed rectifier circuit is that it can be extended to n number of the frequency band by using only 2 × n matching elements. To validate the design method experimentally, a prototype of a dual-band rectifier is fabricated for two public telecommunication bands of GSM-900 and 1800. In order to reduce the circuit complexity and sensitivity arising due to lumped elements, the meander line and the open stub are used to realize the proposed circuit. A good agreement is obtained between the simulation and the measurement. The measured results show that the proposed rectifier circuit exhibits the conversion efficiency of 25.7 and 65% for an input power of −20 and 0 dBm, respectively. In addition, diode nonlinearity which affects the performance of the rectifier in terms of impedance matching is also investigated. Subjects: Electromagnetics & Microwaves; Electronics; Circuits & Devices