Broadband RF-to-DC Rectifier With Uncomplicated Matching Network

A novel broadband RF-to-DC rectifier using an uncomplicated matching approach is proposed and tested. The proposed rectifier is based on a voltage doubler-type configuration and broadband matching is achieved by simply adding two inductors in series with each of the diodes, canceling out the large capacitance inherent in the diodes as well as producing resonances over a wide bandwidth. This uncomplicated matching network allows for a smaller circuit footprint while providing a wide bandwidth. The proposed rectifier is validated via simulation and measurement. The results demonstrate that a rectification efficiency of more than 50% is maintained over a bandwidth of approximately 83% (0.54–1.3 GHz) at 5-dBm input power, with the maximum rectification efficiency of 80% at 10-dBm input power.