Two advanced solar antenna "SOLANT" designs for satellite and terrestrial communications

An Experimental Study on the Effect of Commercial Triple Junction Solar Cells on Patch Antennas Integrated on Their Cover Glass

“…Such an integration can be particularly valuable for a CubeSat (a very small satellite designed with modular components to have a minimum payload) [4] as the antennas, when effectively integrated with the solar cells, do not compete with solar cells for the limited surface real estate. There have been four main types of integrations reported: (1) antennas integrated under solar cells [1,[5][6][7]; (2) antennas integrated on the same plane with or on the side wall perpendicular to solar cells [8][9][10]; (3) antennas integrated on top of solar cells [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], and (4) parts of the solar cells function as antenna [19][20][21] (the antenna in [7] also belongs to this category as the solar cell above the antenna acts as a parasitic elements of the antenna). The third type of integration is of particular interest and promise to a CubeSat system as the antenna topology, especially when it is small or optically transparent, facilitates a possible modular design.…”

On surface currents in a polycrystalline solar cell acting as ground plane for microstrip patch antennas

“…The technique first used was the direct placement of solar cell over microstrip patches without covering the radiating edges of the patch [1]. A higher level of integration was then possible with the development of the thin amorphous silicon technology on polymer substrate, enabling the solar cells to be shaped to complex geometries of slot antennas [2].…”

“…The concept was successfully illustrated by the authors [4][5][6], leading to a novel method of integrating a microstrip patch and a standard solar cell, without the need for complex laser cutting [2] nor complex RF-DC decoupling arrangements in the feed [3]. In [6] a common inset-fed microstrip antenna with a solar cell as ground plane was reported.…”

Emitter-wrap-through photovoltaic dipole antenna with solar concentrator

“…It has been shown in space satellite applications that photovoltaic (PV) cells can be located close to microstrip antennas, avoiding the region where the effective electric fringing field exists [1]. The development of thin amorphous silicon technology on flexible polymer substrates enables solar cells to fit into complex antenna geometries, but with lower photovoltaic cell efficiency [2]. In recent years increased attention has been focused on the use of polycrystalline silicon solar cells.…”