LTE 2100 MHz band half-wave two element rectifier array for wireless electromagnetic energy harvesting

In this manuscript, a two-element half-wave rectenna array for wireless energy harvesting from LTE 2100 MHz band is presented. The 2100 MHz band is chosen based on the spectrum survey in the locality. An outdoor peak power of -15.8 dBm is sensed using a 1.5 dBi gain wideband antenna and spectrum analyser. A half-wave rectifier circuit using two different Schottky diodes and a capacitor filter is developed and connected in mirror image form. The proposed structure combines the direct current power of individual elements using two series capacitors improving the rectenna efficiency. The reported full-wave rectifier array has 19.95% and 63.01% radio-frequency to direct current efficiency for conventional and high-performance Schottky diodes respectively. A detailed analysis of major design parameters has been performed and presented in the manuscript which will help researchers to choose a suitable operating band and design components for rectenna design. The presented half-wave-rectifier rectenna has a comparable conversion efficiency with the full-wave-rectifier rectennas resulting in improved throughput wireless energy harvesting systems. © 2024 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.