A Fully Integrated Power Converter for Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting With 81% Peak Efficiency and 6.4-mV Minimum Input Voltage

This letter introduces a fully integrated inductive power converter for thermal energy harvesting using the thermoelectric generator (TEG). With a three-step self-start block, the power converter can cold-start from 83 mV. After self-start, the minimum input voltage to sustain the power converter operation is only 6.4 mV. An integrated maximum power point tracking block keeps impedance matching at the TEG output. A novel low-power zero-current switching block realizes accurate switching with little overhead. The proposed power converter is implemented in a 55-nm CMOS process and achieves 81% peak end-to-end efficiency.

Automated summary

This letter presents a fully integrated inductive power converter for thermal energy harvesting using a thermoelectric generator. The converter features a three-step self-start module, enabling it to cold-start from as low as 83 mV. Once self-started, the converter only requires a minimum input voltage of 6.4 mV to sustain its operation. The integration of a maximum power point tracking module and a low-power zero-current switching module ensures accurate switching and achieves a peak end-to-end efficiency of 81%.