Novel SiC self starting DC-DC converter for high temperature wireless sensor nodes

We report on the first demonstration of a novel self starting DC-DC converter to supply power to a wireless sensor node for deployment in high temperature environments. Utilising SiC devices we have realised a novel boost converter topology which is suitable for boosting a low voltage to a level sufficient to power a sensor node at temperatures up to 300°C. This topology is able to self start and so requires no external control circuitry, making it ideal for energy harvesting applications, where the energy supply may be intermittent. Here we demonstrate the potential of this topology to power a direct frequency modulated Colpitts oscillator for RF transmission, when used in conjunction with a thermoelectric generator.