| Title: |
On-chip solar power source for self-powered smart microsensors in bulk CMOS process |
| Authors: |
Jian Guan, Jingjing Liu, Wenji Mo, Bingjun Xiong, Kangkang Sun, Feng Yan, Zhipeng Li, Yuchen Wang, Bhaskar Choubey |
| Source: |
Communications Engineering, Vol 4, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2025) |
| Publisher Information: |
Nature Portfolio, 2025. |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
LCC:Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) |
| Subject Terms: |
Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General), TA1-2040 |
| More Details: |
Abstract Enhancing the photoelectric conversion efficiency of on-chip solar cells is crucial for advancing solar energy harvesting in self-powered smart microsensors for Internet of Things applications. Here we show that adopting a center electrode (CE) layout instead of a ring electrode (RE) effectively reduces the shadowing effect of surface electrodes. Using a standard 0.18 μm CMOS process, we fabricated a 0.01 mm² segmented triple-well on-chip solar cell with CEs and highly doped interconnections. Measurements demonstrate a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25.79% under solar simulator illumination, a 17.49% improvement over conventional designs. This on-chip solar cell is used for on-chip energy harvesting, achieving a maximum end-to-end conversion efficiency of 10.20%, referring to the overall efficiency from incident light power to load power output. The proposed energy harvesting system reliably provides a stable 1 V output to the load, even under varying illumination and load conditions. |
| Document Type: |
article |
| File Description: |
electronic resource |
| Language: |
English |
| ISSN: |
2731-3395 |
| Relation: |
https://doaj.org/toc/2731-3395 |
| DOI: |
10.1038/s44172-025-00358-w |
| Access URL: |
https://doaj.org/article/8a51431adcd8454183bfbaf461468094 |
| Accession Number: |
edsdoj.8a51431adcd8454183bfbaf461468094 |
| Database: |
Directory of Open Access Journals |
