A design for an optically reconfigurable printed
dipole antenna is presented. A wideband coplanar waveguide
(CPW) to coplanar stripline (CPS) transition is used to feed the
balanced printed dipole. Two silicon photo switches are placed on
small gaps in both dipole arms equidistant from the centre feed.
Light from two infrared laser diodes channelled through fiber
optic cables is applied to the switches. With the gaps in the dipole
bridged, the antenna resonates at a lower frequency. Measured
return loss results that compare well to the simulated values are
also presented, showing a frequency shift of nearly 40%. The
change in bore-sight gain along with radiation patterns are also
presented. Activating each switch individually results in a near
50 shift in beam nulls.
History
School
Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Citation
PANAGAMUWA, C.I., CHAURAYA, A. and VARDAXOGLOU, J.C. (2006). Frequency and beam reconfigurable antenna using photoconducting switches. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 54, (2), pp. 449-454