New design of a high-efficiency rectenna for wireless power transfer in 5G applications

This work presents a novel compact rectenna design for wireless power transfer (WPT) at 3.5 GHz, targeting 5G-enabled low-power IoT devices. The proposed system integrates an optimized patch antenna with a Schottky diode-based rectifier, enabling efficient RF-to-DC energy conversion in a compact footprint. A systematic co-design approach combining electromagnetic simulations and circuit-level modeling was employed to optimize impedance matching and maximize conversion efficiency. A parametric study of the load resistance revealed an optimal value of 5 kΩ, achieving peak power transfer efficiency under realistic operating conditions. The rectenna prototype was fabricated and experimentally characterized, confirming the simulation results and demonstrating a maximum DC output voltage of 0.91 V at an input power level of 0 dBm. The proposed design offers a practical, reproducible, and high-performance solution for 5G wireless energy harvesting, addressing the challenges of compactness, efficiency, and reliability for next-generation IoT applications.