Solar cell integrated multiband reconfigurable antenna

Abstract

The antennas that share radiators with solar cells are applicable to collect energy and integrate radio frequency functions. In this paper, a solar cell integrated multiband antenna is proposed on the basis of Vivaldi antenna structure. Unlike prior research, it has the capacity to reconfigure working frequencies and radiation performance of the antenna through optical control of the solar cell. The purpose of reconfiguration is achieved by means of two switching diodes placed between the differential Vivaldi radiator and conducted via biasing from the solar cell. The integrated solar cell functions both as part of the radiator and as the biasing source for switching diodes. According to the simulation and measurement results, the antenna performs consistently at around 5 GHz, while the radiation performance can be reconfigured at 1.16 and 3 GHz under illumination. In this way, the proposed antenna can fulfill various functions such as green energy collection, wireless communication, and light detection, which makes it applicable in the Internet of Things for low‐power wireless sensor terminal.