Broadband compact rectenna system using a Wilkinson power divider to harvest microwave energy

Abstract

Abstract In the present study, a broadband symmetrical rectifier high-efficiency low-complexity single-layer cost-efficient system at 2–18 GHz frequency with horizontal and vertical polarization in receiver antennas has been proposed for harvesting radio frequency energy. The rectenna system circuit consists of two ridged horn antennas with separate linear horizontal and vertical polarization that receive the RF waves. Then, a uniform and integrated rectifier circuit is presented using two power dividers and a Wilkinson combiner to divide and combine the desired power in the system. The rectifier part uses a commercial Schottky diode (HSMS-2850). Using this structure on the output of the rectifier circuit, the vertical and horizontal polarization, as well as a combination of the two, are provided with high power transformation efficiency and the lowest power drop (equally 3 dB) to harvest various types of RF energy. The new rectifier circuit consists of a unique structure and a cheap and available substrate (RO4003) all over the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. The designed prototype has an average power conversion efficiency of 32% for very low input power, around − 5 dBm. In addition, this rectifier circuit has a voltage of 3.55 V at the power of -5 dBm. Considering the simultaneous use of two receivers, when the relative phase of input signals ranges from 0 to 360 degrees, an efficiency of 35 to 40% can be observed.