Abstract
An optically transparent microstrip patch mounted on the surface of a commercially available solar module is proposed. The patch comprises a thin sheet of clear polyester with a conductive coating. The amorphous silicon solar cells in the module are used as both a photovoltaic generator and the antenna ground plane. The proposed structure provides a peak gain of 3.96dBi in the 3.4-3.8GHz range without significantly compromising the light transmission in the module. A comparison between copper and transparent conductors is made in terms of antenna and solar performance. The proposed technique is considerably simpler than previous integration approaches.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 85-86 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Journal | Electronics Letters |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Jan 2011 |