Energy Harvesting IC Design for an Electromagnetic Generator Based on the Split Capacitor Approach

The proposed energy harvesting system intends to harvest vibrational energy via an electromagnetic generator (EMG). The proposed circuit intends to extract maximum power from the EMG by utilizing the maximum power transfer theorem which states that maximum power is transferred to the load when the source resistance equals the load resistance. The proposed circuit is a synchronous split-capacitor boost converter operating in boundary conduction mode (BCM) to achieve impedance matching and therefore maximum power transferred to the load. The circuit topology combines the rectifier and power stage to reduce power loss of the power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The proposed circuit is designed and fabricated in 130 nm BiCMOS technology. The circuit is validated through schematic level simulations and post-layout simulations. The results conclude the proposed circuit and control operates in a manner to achieve BCM.