Optimal matching between optical rectennas and harvester circuits

2017

This paper deals with optimal coupling issues between rectennas and harvesting circuits. An optical rectenna consists of a nanoantenna usually coupled with an ultra-high speed rectifier. These devices aim to receive and convert solar and thermal radiation in a DC voltage, while a harvester circuit provides the energy to be stored. The rectenna impedance is influenced both by its structure and by the rectifying diode, the harvester circuit impedance has to be matched to optimize the power transfer. The purpose of this contribution is to discuss the best impedance conditions by taking into account the constraints that are due to the individual devices the conversion system consist of. Finally…

Innovative systems based on optical nanoantennas for energy harvesting application

The purpose of this study is to outline the main guidelines for the design of arrays of optical rectennas aiming to harvest energy and for the optimization of the power transfer to an external load. In particular, the novelty of this study consists in introducing the concept of the integrated design between the array of optical rectennas and the harvesting circuit able to exploit the available energy. The design of the array represents the crucial point in order to optimize the power transfer between the antenna and the load and can influence the rectenna design. On the other hand, the maximum power transfer to the load has to be obtained under matching conditions between the array and the …