Optically Controlled Frequency-Reconfigurable Microstrip Antenna With Low Photoconductivity

Abstract

In this letter, novel designs for optically switching the resonant frequency of a microstrip patch antenna via photoconductive switches are proposed, and design considerations for maximizing frequency switching ratio with finite photo-conductance are investigated. Furthermore, a configuration to switch the resonant frequency with low switch conductance is proposed for cheap and easy fabrication of a frequency-reconfigurable antenna that can be operated with low optical power. Experimental verification of the low-power configuration is presented.