Numerical validation of a MOSFET-based control circuit for high-power intelligent reflecting surfaces for wireless power transfer applications

Intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) have attracted considerable attention because of their ability to dynamically control electromagnetic wave propagation. While most existing IRSs have been developed for low-power communication and sensing applications, their extension to high-power wireless power transfer (WPT) environments remains largely unexplored, as the high induced currents can damage or saturate the sensitive control elements, disrupting their tuning functionality. Here, we propose a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor-based (MOSFET-based) binary control circuit for IRSs operating at 2.4 GHz that can withstand input power levels of up to 1.250 W per unit cell (0.965–1.250 W depending on the design variant). The control circuit employs a back-to-back MOSFET switching topology with series and parallel capacitors to suppress impedance variations arising from device nonlinearity while maintaining a reflection phase difference of approximately 180 degrees between the ON and OFF states. A theoretical model based on transmission lines is developed and benchmarked against unit-cell full-wave/circuit co-simulations incorporating nonlinear SPICE device models. The dynamic range is evaluated with respect to both the rated current and the reflection phase difference, demonstrating stable operation up to 1.250 W for the best-case design. Supercell-level beam steering is further demonstrated through far-field simulations at six power levels spanning the entire dynamic range, confirming active control of the reflection angle via switching pattern reconfiguration. Although the present study is entirely numerical and experimental validation—including layout parasitics, biasing, and thermal management—remains as future work, these results provide a topology-level design foundation for extending IRSs to high-power WPT scenarios.