Reconfigurable Antennas.
Abstract
A radio frequency (RF) antenna was demonstrated by exciting charge carriers in a semiconductor. Using a common camera flash and a custom mask, portions of a four inch diameter silicon wafer were illuminated to form a temporary electrically conductive pathway. The conductive path would momentarily mimic a thin layer metallic antenna through which RF energy could be received or transmitted. Experiments in the 1-4 GHz range showed the optically excited semiconductor antennas to be about 5 dB less efficient than similar dipole and bow-tie design metallic antennas. The silicon used had a carrier lifetime of approximately five microseconds when illuminated with an optical intensity of 1O watts per square centimeter. Changing illumination masks would allow the semiconductor antenna to be reconfigured to a variety of different antenna designs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA304993
Entities
People
- Ping-tong Ho
Organizations
- University of Maryland