Design of coupled inductor-based boost converter for ultra low power thermoelectric energy harvesting using pulse transformer with 75mV start-up voltage

Abstract

This paper presents a coupled inductor-based converter capable of self-starting and has consistent conversion efficiency independent of input voltage and source resistance. Instead of using a customized high turns-ratio miniature transformer, existing compact profile pulse transformer commonly available for telecommunication circuits can be used. Simulation results with a standard CMOS 0.13-μm technology confirmed that using the proposed topology, power conversion efficiency can be improved to over 60% and is sustainable over wide input voltage range.