M.Sc. Xinyu Kong

RF energy harvesting or wireless power transfer has been a popular research topic for years. Compared with traditional batteries, it can increase the sustainability of IoT, smart home, and microrobot systems. The main components of an RF energy harvester are the antenna and the rectifier. The antenna receives the RF power from the ambient environment. The rectifier converts the received power into DC power. Then, the converted DC power can be stored or supply other subsequent circuits. As the key component, the antenna directly affects the received RF power level, which may limit the performance of the rectifier and the whole harvester. Therefore, this thesis aims to investigate and optimize the antenna configuration for millimeter-wave energy harvesting.

Tasks:

In this thesis, you will compare different antenna topologies in literature and simulation, find the optimum configuration, and co-design the antenna with a rectifier for millimeter-wave energy harvesting.

Requirements:

-Good understanding of antenna and circuits

-Experience with design tools such as CST, ADS or Cadence is a plus

Language: English