Design of 2.45 GHz rectenna based on high-gain 2-element array antenna and 7-stage voltage-doubler rectifier for energy harvesting applications

Abstract This paper proposes a new design of a 2.45 GHz compact rectenna for ambient RF energy harvesting, presenting a complete energy harvesting system. The proposed rectenna design features a two-element antenna array with high gain and a novel voltage-doubler configuration. The two-element antenna array is fabricated on Rogers RT/Duroid-5880 substrate, utilizing a rectangular microstrip patch antenna fed by a symmetric 50 Ω coplanar line. The antenna’s performance is tested numerically and experimentally in terms of return loss (S 11 ) and radiation patterns. The results show excellent matching bandwidth at 2.45 GHz with a high gain of 7.03 dBi, providing a reasonable agreement between measurement and simulation results. The rectenna design employs a 7-stage voltage doubler rectifier that generates a dynamic DC voltage and improves the circuit’s reliability and performance. The receiving antenna and the rectifier are connected via a single L-section, comprising a shunt capacitor and a series inductor, for impedance matching, resulting in size reduction. The rectifier exhibits a peak simulated power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 75% and a measured efficiency of 60% at an input power of 20 dBm. The rectenna yields a high output DC voltage of 4.9 V at an input power of 13 dBm with a resistive load of 1 kΩ. These results reveal that the proposed 2.45 GHz rectenna is a suitable candidate for RF energy harvesting applications in low-power sensors and electronic devices.