Design of Synchronous RF-DC Rectifier for Energy Harvesting System

In this paper, a Dickson-based RF-DC (Radio frequency power to direct current power) rectifier for energy harvesting system is designed. Dickson double-voltage structure, voltage-dividing structure and switching transistors are integrated in the system to fulfil the synchronous rectifying function, which can upgrade PCE (Power Conversion Efficiency) value, reduce the threshold voltage and decrease the leakage current, etc.. The simulation is conducted on the designed synchronous rectifier for energy harvesting of 900 MHz signal. It shows that when the input voltage V-IN = 1V, the peak output DC voltage can be stabilised at 1.8 V with the assistance of LDO (Low dropout) regulator, while the reverse leakage current is below 20 mu A and the PCE value reaches 58%. The designed rectifier is assembled and tested in the paper. Both the simulation and testing results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed synchronous rectifier.