Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) using Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) At 5.8 GHz for Biosensors Applications: A Feasibility Study by Electromagnetic (EM) Simulations

We report here a detailed 3-dimensional (3-D) electromagnetic (EM) simulation study on the feasibility of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) using the strongly coupled magnetic resonance (SCMR) effect at 5.8 GHz for potential μm-scale biosensors applications. The tiny 110 μm x110 μm planar aluminum inductor coil is built on the silicon substrate as our miniaturized receiver coil, which has been designed and simulated by 3-D EM simulations and its EM data is consistent with the measured data from an advanced IBM/Global Foundries’ 0.18 μm complimentary metal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process technology. By using small relay coils for an optimized four-coil WPT system to reach the SCMR condition, EM simulations show that one can increase the wireless power transfer between the transmitter coil to the miniature receiver coil by about 300% to 400% over the traditional 2-coil inductive resonant system at the 5.8 GHz ISM band, making SCMR quite attractive for implantable bioelectronics and biosensors applications, such as on cochlear implants, capsule endoscopy and pacemakers. Our study features the smallest receiver coil (about 330 times smaller in area) than the previously reported smallest receiver coil used in inductive coupling for wireless power transfer.