TRANSPAR-ANTS: Transparent Antennas You Can’t
See!
Antennas
you can see through! Optically transparent antennas are useful for a wide
variety of applications including integration on small satellites in space (double
using precious surface area for both solar panels and communication or sensing
antennas), vehicular communication systems, clandestine antennas, and
more. There are two ways we are looking into (punny, very punny!) these
antennas. First, making antennas from traditional conducting materials
but cutting lots of holes in them to let the light through or making them from
gridded metallic materials. This method is very effective, and we have
developed some novel feed systems that make these methods even more
effective. This is particularly important for materials like transpar-ants
that are fragile and hard to solder or connect to, break the feed, etc.
The second type of transparent antenna is made from transparent
conductors. At high frequencies, these methods have a good chance of
succeeding, but at low frequencies, they are just too resistive. The
analysis we have done of these transparent conductors is also really useful for
analyzing the expected performance of other antennas that are made from
moderate (or poor) conductors such as textile (fabric) antennas.
Here is Jason
Saberin with his transparent antenna.
The copper line on the right is the non-transparent feed line.
Our ‘claims to fame’:
· Simulation of the effect of imperfect conducting materials on microstrip antenna performance
·
Side feed systems for
microstrip antennas
Meshed copper antennas also can be made transparent. Here are two different designs (the location
on the feedline is different) that have two different polarizations as a
result.
Publications
1.
J. Saberin, C. Furse,
“Passive Feed Methods for Meshed Antennas,” 2010 IEEE AP-S International
Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and 2010 USNC/CNC/URSI Meeting in
Toronto, ON, Canada, July 11-17, 2010
2. J. Saberin, C. Furse, T. Yasin, R.
Baktur, “Challenges with Optically Transparent Patch Antennas for Small
Satellites,” 2010 IEEE AP-S International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation
and 2010 USNC/CNC/URSI Meeting in Toronto, ON, Canada, July 11-17, 2010
3. T. Turpin, M. Mahmoud, R. Baktur, C.
Furse, “Integrated After-Market Solar Panel Antennas for Small Satellites,” 23rd
Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, August 2009
This project is done in Collaboration with Dr. Reyhan Baktur at Utah State University.
Thank
you to our Sponsor:
National Science Foundation Grant ECS- 0801453
Last revised: August 2010
For more information, contact Dr. Cynthia Furse