A 13.56 MHz Rectifier Based on Fully Inkjet Printed Organic Diodes

The increasing diffusion of portable and wearable technologies results in a growing interest in electronic devices having features such as flexibility, lightness‐in‐weight, transparency, and wireless operation. Organic electronics is proposed as a potential candidate to fulfill such needs, in particular targeting pervasive radio‐frequency (RF) applications. Still, limitations in terms of device performances at RF, particularly severe when large‐area and scalable fabrication techniques are employed, have largely precluded the achievement of such an appealing scenario. In this work, the rectification of an electromagnetic wave at 13.56 MHz with a fully inkjet printed polymer diode is demonstrated. The rectifier, a key enabling component of future pervasive wireless systems, is fabricated through scalable large‐area methods on plastic. To provide a proof‐of‐principle demonstration of its future applicability, its adoption in powering a printed integrated polymer circuit is presented. The possibility of harvesting electrical power from RF waves and delivering it to a cheap flexible substrate through a simple printed circuitry paves the way to a plethora of appealing distributed electronic applications. The very first example of a fully inkjet printed organic Schottky diode capable of working at radio frequencies, with a very high rectification ratio, is presented. A rectifier circuit, fabricated by integrating the presented fully printed diodes and capacitors, can successfully rectify a 13.56 MHz sinusoidal AC signal, and supply power to a polymer circuit printed on a plastic foil.