Low-Power CMOS Rectifier Design for RFID Applications
11 Jun 2007-IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I-regular Papers (IEEE)-Vol. 54, Iss: 6, pp 1177-1188
TL;DR: The measured RF power-up threshold (in 0.18-mum, at 1 muW load) was 6 muWplusmn10%, closely matching the predicted value of 5.2 muW.
Abstract: We investigate theoretical and practical aspects of the design of far-field RF power extraction systems consisting of antennas, impedance matching networks and rectifiers. Fundamental physical relationships that link the operating bandwidth and range are related to technology dependent quantities like threshold voltage and parasitic capacitances. This allows us to design efficient planar antennas, coupled resonator impedance matching networks and low-power rectifiers in standard CMOS technologies (0.5-mum and 0.18-mum) and accurately predict their performance. Experimental results from a prototype power extraction system that operates around 950 MHz and integrates these components together are presented. Our measured RF power-up threshold (in 0.18-mum, at 1 muW load) was 6 muWplusmn10%, closely matching the predicted value of 5.2 muW.
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TL;DR: This paper presents an overview of the RF-EHNs including system architecture, RF energy harvesting techniques, and existing applications, and explores various key design issues according to the network types, i.e., single-hop networks, multiantenna networks, relay networks, and cognitive radio networks.
Abstract: Radio frequency (RF) energy transfer and harvesting techniques have recently become alternative methods to power the next-generation wireless networks As this emerging technology enables proactive energy replenishment of wireless devices, it is advantageous in supporting applications with quality-of-service requirements In this paper, we present a comprehensive literature review on the research progresses in wireless networks with RF energy harvesting capability, which is referred to as RF energy harvesting networks (RF-EHNs) First, we present an overview of the RF-EHNs including system architecture, RF energy harvesting techniques, and existing applications Then, we present the background in circuit design as well as the state-of-the-art circuitry implementations and review the communication protocols specially designed for RF-EHNs We also explore various key design issues in the development of RF-EHNs according to the network types, ie, single-hop networks, multiantenna networks, relay networks, and cognitive radio networks Finally, we envision some open research directions
2,352 citations
TL;DR: An RF-DC power conversion system is designed to efficiently convert far-field RF energy to DC voltages at very low received power and voltages and is ideal for use in passively powered sensor networks.
Abstract: An RF-DC power conversion system is designed to efficiently convert far-field RF energy to DC voltages at very low received power and voltages. Passive rectifier circuits are designed in a 0.25 mum CMOS technology using floating gate transistors as rectifying diodes. The 36-stage rectifier can rectify input voltages as low as 50 mV with a voltage gain of 6.4 and operates with received power as low as 5.5 muW(22.6 dBm). Optimized for far field, the circuit operates at a distance of 44 m from a 4 W EIRP source. The high voltage range achieved at low load current make it ideal for use in passively powered sensor networks.
766 citations
Cites background from "Low-Power CMOS Rectifier Design for..."
...Others previous work achieved sufficient power but provides low output voltage with higher load current making it inadequate for use in passively powered wireless sensor networks [13]....
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TL;DR: A microsystem based on electrocorticography (ECoG) that overcomes difficulties, enabling chronic recording and wireless transmission of neural signals from the surface of the cerebral cortex and a simultaneous 3× improvement in power efficiency over the state of the art.
Abstract: Emerging applications in brain–machine interface systems require high-resolution, chronic multisite cortical recordings, which cannot be obtained with existing technologies due to high power consumption, high invasiveness, or inability to transmit data wirelessly. In this paper, we describe a microsystem based on electrocorticography (ECoG) that overcomes these difficulties, enabling chronic recording and wireless transmission of neural signals from the surface of the cerebral cortex. The device is comprised of a highly flexible, high-density, polymer-based 64-channel electrode array and a flexible antenna, bonded to 2.4 mm × 2.4 mm CMOS integrated circuit (IC) that performs 64-channel acquisition, wireless power and data transmission. The IC digitizes the signal from each electrode at 1 kS/s with 1.2 μV input referred noise, and transmits the serialized data using a 1 Mb/s backscattering modulator. A dual-mode power-receiving rectifier reduces data-dependent supply ripple, enabling the integration of small decoupling capacitors on chip and eliminating the need for external components. Design techniques in the wireless and baseband circuits result in over 16× reduction in die area with a simultaneous 3× improvement in power efficiency over the state of the art. The IC consumes 225 μW and can be powered by an external reader transmitting 12 mW at 300 MHz, which is over 3× lower than IEEE and FCC regulations.
322 citations
Additional excerpts
...11 [31]–[33] takes advantage of the antenna...
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TL;DR: In this paper, a design method for the co-design and integration of a CMOS rectifier and small loop antenna and a complementary MOS diode is proposed to improve the harvester's ability to store and hold energy over a long period of time during which there is insufficient power for rectification.
Abstract: In this paper, a design method for the co-design and integration of a CMOS rectifier and small loop antenna is described. In order to improve the sensitivity, the antenna-rectifier interface is analyzed as it plays a crucial role in the co-design optimization. Subsequently, a 5-stage cross-connected differential rectifier with a 7-bit binary-weighted capacitor bank is designed and fabricated in standard 90 nm CMOS technology. The rectifier is brought at resonance with a high-Q loop antenna by means of a control loop that compensates for any variation at the antenna-rectifier interface and passively boosts the antenna voltage to enhance the sensitivity. A complementary MOS diode is proposed to improve the harvester's ability to store and hold energy over a long period of time during which there is insufficient power for rectification. The chip is ESD protected and integrated on a compact loop antenna. Measurements in an anechoic chamber at 868 MHz demonstrate a -27 dBm sensitivity for 1 V output across a capacitive load and 27 meter range for a 1.78 W RF source in an office corridor. The end-to-end power conversion efficiency equals 40% at -17 dBm.
289 citations
Cites background from "Low-Power CMOS Rectifier Design for..."
...The input impedance of the rectifier is mainly capacitive where is the real part of the impedance and represents the imaginary part....
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TL;DR: An implantable fuel cell that generates power through glucose oxidation, producing steady-state power and up to peak power is developed, demonstrating computationally that the natural recirculation of cerebrospinal fluid around the human brain theoretically permits glucose energy harvesting at a rate on the order of at least 1 mW with no adverse physiologic effects.
Abstract: We have developed an implantable fuel cell that generates power through glucose oxidation, producing steady-state power and up to peak power. The fuel cell is manufactured using a novel approach, employing semiconductor fabrication techniques, and is therefore well suited for manufacture together with integrated circuits on a single silicon wafer. Thus, it can help enable implantable microelectronic systems with long-lifetime power sources that harvest energy from their surrounds. The fuel reactions are mediated by robust, solid state catalysts. Glucose is oxidized at the nanostructured surface of an activated platinum anode. Oxygen is reduced to water at the surface of a self-assembled network of single-walled carbon nanotubes, embedded in a Nafion film that forms the cathode and is exposed to the biological environment. The catalytic electrodes are separated by a Nafion membrane. The availability of fuel cell reactants, oxygen and glucose, only as a mixture in the physiologic environment, has traditionally posed a design challenge: Net current production requires oxidation and reduction to occur separately and selectively at the anode and cathode, respectively, to prevent electrochemical short circuits. Our fuel cell is configured in a half-open geometry that shields the anode while exposing the cathode, resulting in an oxygen gradient that strongly favors oxygen reduction at the cathode. Glucose reaches the shielded anode by diffusing through the nanotube mesh, which does not catalyze glucose oxidation, and the Nafion layers, which are permeable to small neutral and cationic species. We demonstrate computationally that the natural recirculation of cerebrospinal fluid around the human brain theoretically permits glucose energy harvesting at a rate on the order of at least 1 mW with no adverse physiologic effects. Low-power brain–machine interfaces can thus potentially benefit from having their implanted units powered or recharged by glucose fuel cells.
225 citations
Cites background from "Low-Power CMOS Rectifier Design for..."
...Systems for transducing light [7], heat [8], mechanical vibration [9], as well as near- [3,10] or far-field [11] electromagnetic radiation, into electrical energy, have been described and...
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23 May 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a standard reference for people working with RFID technology, including electron data carrier architecture and common algorithms for anticollision, and a detailed appendix providing up-to-date information on relevant ISO standards and regulations, including descriptions of ISO 14443 for contactless ticketing and ISO 15693 covering the smartlabel.
Abstract: RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is used in all areas of automatic data capture allowing contactless identification of objects using RF. With applications ranging from secure internet payment systems to industrial automation and access control, RFID technology solutions are receiving much attention in the research and development departments of large corporations. RFID is a major growth are in auto ID, allowing emergency vehicles to safely trip traffic signals, and providing the technology behind contactless smart cards, "autopiloting" cars, and production automation. Fully revised and updated to include all the latest information on industry standards and applications, this new edition provides a standard reference for people working with RFID technology.Expanded sections explain exactly how RFID systems work, and provide up-to-date information on the development of new tags such as the smart label. This book provides updated coverage of RFID technologies, including electron data carrier architecture and common algorithms for anticollision. It details the latest RFID applications, such as the smartlabel, e-commerce and the electronic purse, document tracking and e-ticketing. It includes a detailed appendix providing up-to-date information on relevant ISO standards and regulations, including descriptions of ISO 14443 for contactless ticketing and ISO 15693 covering the smartlabel.A leading-edge reference for this rapidly evolving technology, this text is of interest to practitioners in auto ID and IT designing RFID products and end-users of RFID technology, computer and electronics engineers in security system development and microchip designers, automation, industrial and transport engineers and materials handling specialists. It is also a valuable resource for graduate level students in electronics and industrial engineering design.
2,233 citations
"Low-Power CMOS Rectifier Design for..." refers background in this paper
...RFID technology looks set to have far reaching implications for the global supply chain [1]....
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TL;DR: A novel fully integrated passive transponder IC with 4.5- or 9.25-m reading distance at 500-mW ERP or 4-W EIRP base-station transmit power, operating in the 868/915-MHz ISM band with an antenna gain less than -0.5 dB.
Abstract: This paper presents a novel fully integrated passive transponder IC with 4.5- or 9.25-m reading distance at 500-mW ERP or 4-W EIRP base-station transmit power, respectively, operating in the 868/915-MHz ISM band with an antenna gain less than -0.5 dB. Apart from the printed antenna, there are no external components. The IC is implemented in a 0.5-/spl mu/m digital two-poly two-metal digital CMOS technology with EEPROM and Schottky diodes. The IC's power supply is taken from the energy of the received RF electromagnetic field with help of a Schottky diode voltage multiplier. The IC includes dc power supply generation, phase shift keying backscatter modulator, pulse width modulation demodulator, EEPROM, and logic circuitry including some finite state machines handling the protocol used for wireless write and read access to the IC's EEPROM and for the anticollision procedure. The IC outperforms other reported radio-frequency identification ICs by a factor of three in terms of required receive power level for a given base-station transmit power and tag antenna gain.
875 citations
Additional excerpts
...In these systems, RF power is transmitted by a “primary” or “reader” to one or many “secondaries” or “tags”....
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