Preliminary MW and MMW Reflection and Transmission Measurements of a Silicon Wafer under Illumination of Light for Reflected Phased Array Antennas

At microwave frequencies, the antenna beam scanning is commonly realized using phased array antennas. Such approach is expensive and very time consuming. As the frequency increases into the millimeter region, the complexity and the cost makes the realization of phased array antenna even more complex, less desirable and very difficult. A preliminary study of implementing a low weight and a low cost antenna at millimeter wave (MMW) frequency that can form and scan a beam is done. The antenna uses a semiconductor body, a MMW - and optical source. The optical source illuminates the semiconductor. In the semiconductor body the spatially varying density of charge carriers changes the relative dielectric constant of the semiconductor, such that it can reflect or transmit incident field from MMW source. Since the projection can be realized selectively a beam can be scan in the space