High-Resistivity CMOS SOI Rectenna for Implantable Applications

The design and near-field characterization of an integrated rectenna on Globalfoundries 45-nm CMOS SOI technology are presented. The rectenna is intended for short range (below 8 cm) wireless powering and communication of integrated sensor systems and occupies an area of $700~\mu \text{m} \,\, \times 620~\mu \text{m}$ . Upon utilizing high (low)-resistivity Si substrate, the rectenna provides 1.2 (1.25) mW of dc power 1.1 (1.17) V rectified dc output voltage from a 0.95-GHz source with only 18 (30) dBm power feeding a horn antenna with 6-dB gain placed at a short distance (<5 mm) from the antenna. Efficient wireless power transfer at various applied powers and distances and through a 1-cm-thick chicken breast is demonstrated.