Smart RF/photonic antennas for ultra-high capacity wireless communications.

摘要

The goal of our research was to develop and test such a RF/Photonic antenna prototype. In order to do so, the research was focused into three areas: the optimization of the antenna configuration, the introduction of a novel photodetector design and the resolution of the integration issues between the antenna and the photodetector. The last of the three areas was the most diverse and challenging, since it contained the matching circuitry, the transmission line optimization, the biasing of the photodetector through the antenna and the development of a measuring setup for our prototype.;This work contributes to basic theory by developing two equivalent circuits for impedance matching. One model characterizes the input impedance of the folded slot antenna and a second characterizes the input impedance of the photodetector. A closed form formulae was also introduced for the input impedance of a folded slot over finite dielectric. We finally introduced The Uni-Traveling Carrier Waveguide Integrated Photodetector (UTC-WIP), capable of responsivity up to 40% at very high frequencies.;The engineering achievements were: (1) a three element folded slot antenna with an efficiency of 70%, (2) a symmetric bended transmission line that eliminates the bridges, (3) a band stop filter for CPW lines that prevents microwave leakage, (4) a "smart" antenna configuration that provides adaptive power control, (5) a novel experimental test bed for such type of antennas. Replacing the RF generation components with optics reduces costs and power requirements, increases efficiency and eliminates constrains due to coupling or EMI. As a result, our RF/Photonic antenna provides an excellent candidate for HUB systems where the antennas are physically separated from the RF generation setup, as well as satellites, where energy preservation is the main priority.