Schottky Diode Assessment for Implementing a Rectenna for Radio-Triggered Wireless Sensor Networks

A rectenna, also known as RF envelope detector, based on a Schottky diode as the nonlinear detecting element is designed, implemented, and measured. A circuit architecture is proposed and a design method is discussed. The performance characterization shows that a 2.45-GHz on-off keying encoded signal, consisting of a 32-b word, is demodulated within less than 10 ms. The circuit requires 1-V supply, 980-nA bias current, and −54.7-dBm input power at the antenna, in order to prevent decoding errors from arising.