High-Voltage Backside-Illuminated CMOS Photovoltaic Module for Powering Implantable Temperature Sensors

In this study, we demonstrate a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) backside-illuminated photovoltaic (PV) module. Fabrication of the module involves localized substrate removal from a CMOS PV chip, the application of antireflective silicon nanowires, and supercritical carbon dioxide fluid treatment. The resulting PV module achieved open-circuit voltage of 1.76-2.05 V and electrical power of 0.061-3.44 mW under an illumination intensity of 0.1-4 mW/mm(2), which is sufficient for the direct powering of implantable temperature sensors without the need for a voltage-boosting circuit. The proposed PV module is applicable to remote self-powered systems in a wide variety of applications.