Practical Superdirective and Efficient Rectenna for Low-Power RF Energy Harvesting

TL;DR

This paper introduces a superdirective rectenna design that significantly improves RF energy harvesting efficiency and gain for low-power applications through optimized impedance matching and innovative antenna configuration.

Contribution

It presents a novel superdirective rectenna with direct impedance matching, achieving high realised gain and efficiency at low power levels, advancing RF energy harvesting technology.

Findings

Realised gain of 6.9 dBi at -20 dBm

RF-to-DC efficiency of 22.1% at -20 dBm

Effective impedance matching between antenna and rectifier

Abstract

This paper presents the design and analysis of a superdirective rectenna optimized for enhanced RF-to-DC efficiency and realised gain, featuring direct impedance matching between the antenna and the rectifier. Employing passively loaded, low profile strip dipoles on a low-loss substrate, the rectenna achieves a realised gain of 6.9 dBi and an RF-to-DC efficiency of 22.1% at -20 dBm.