Ultra-low power, low voltage, autonomous resonant DC-DC converter for low power applications

This article presents a resonant DC-DC converter topology suitable for ultra-low power and low voltage applications. The presented topology is dedicated to energy harvesting sources in general and especially for Radio-Frequency RF sources. Main advantage of this converter is its autonomy, i.e., it operates from low voltage levels without the need of an external energy source or any other startup assistance. Theoretical modelling of the converter is used together with circuit simulations in order to make an optimal design based on the requirements of a low power rectifying antenna (rectenna). A discrete prototype was fabricated and tested. Low voltage and ultra-low power as lows as 100mV and 3μW respectively were achieved. The input low voltage is boosted to a usable level allowing to power wirelessly and autonomously low power circuits as wireless sensors.