A compact size and high efficiency CMOS-IPD rectenna using 2.5D wafer-level packing for a wireless power harvesting system

Abstract

This work achieves a two-and-a-half-dimensional (2.5D) wafer-level radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting rectenna module with a compact size and high power conversion efficiency (PCE) that integrates a 2.45 GHz antenna in an integrated passive device (IPD) and a rectifier in a tsmcTM 0.18 μm CMOS process. The proposed rectifier provides a master-slave voltage doubling full-wave topology which can reach relatively high PCE by means of a relatively simple circuitry. The IPD antenna was stacked on top of the CMOS rectifier. The rectenna (including an antenna and rectifier) achieves an output voltage of 1.2 V and PCE of 47 % when the operation frequency is 2.45 GHz, with −12 dBm input power. The peak efficiency of the circuit is 83 % with −4 dBm input power. The die size of the RF harvesting module is less than 1 cm2. The performance of this module makes it possible to energy mobile device and it is also very suitable for wearable and implantable wireless sensor networks (WSN).