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Design and Verification of High Efficiency Energy Harvesting System at RF Frequencies
Rabah, Hebah
Rabah, Hebah
Date
2024-11
Author
Advisor
Type
Thesis
Degree
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Description
A Master of Science thesis in Electrical Engineering by Hebah Rabah entitled, “Design and Verification of High Efficiency Energy Harvesting System at RF Frequencies”, submitted in November 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Lutfi Albasha and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Hasan Mir. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).
Abstract
Energy harvesting systems stand as a promising method to power Internet of Things (IoT) devices efficiently. This thesis presents the novel design of an energy harvesting system operating at 5.8GHz for IoT applications. The work was divided into two main phases. The first phase involved designing and simulating a rectifier circuit at 5.8GHz using the TSMC 65nm process. Challenges associated with high-frequency operation, such as parasitic capacitances, frequency-dependent leakage currents, and impedance mismatches, were addressed. These challenges were carefully managed to establish good performance at a higher frequency. For example, layout techniques were applied to reduce parasitic capacitance and leakage current, thereby minimizing unwanted energy loss and improving efficiency. A high-pass impedance matching network was also designed to reduce reflection loss and facilitate optimal power transfer to the rectifier. The second phase focused on creating a physical layout of the rectifier circuit, followed by a performance evaluation of the extracted circuit. After designing the layout, critical testing was conducted to compare the simulated and layout-extracted circuits. Key performance metrics, such as output voltage and power conversion efficiency (PCE), were analyzed. The post-layout extracted, closest to fabricated results, achieved an output voltage of 2.88V and a PCE of 82.94%, demonstrating high efficiency despite the presence of parasitic elements introduced during the layout process. The novelty of this thesis lay in being the first to design, simulate, and create a layout for a Dickson charge pump rectifier at 5.8GHz using TSMC 65nm process. The design successfully passed Design Rule Checks (DRC) and Layout Versus Schematic (LVS) tests, and the extracted circuit accurately represented real-world chip performance, with an efficiency of 82.94%. This research contributed to the advancement of self-powered IoT systems by optimizing energy harvesting at high frequencies, reducing reliance on traditional batteries, and enhancing the longevity of IoT networks.