Microstrip antennas with integrated fibre optic feeds

Several techniques for feeding microstrip antennas with RF-modulated lightwave signals using an optical fibre are presented. A photodiode on a ceramic carrier and the appropriate impedance matching circuitry are integrated on the same substrate as the patch antenna element. Configurations using patch antennas with both direct microstrip line feeds and aperture coupling are considered. Experiments with three different configurations demonstrate these techniques.