Application of photovoltaic solar cells in planar antenna structures

This paper describes the application of photovoltaic solar cells in planar antenna structures. The radiating patch element of a planar antenna is replaced by a solar cell. The original feature of a solar cell (DC current generation) remains, but additionally the cell is now able to receive and transmit electromagnetic waves. For a proper performance of these functions a RF-DC decoupling is necessary. Besides a general technical description some selected realisations of solar cell antennas are presented. The comparison of measured and simulated antenna properties shows a good agreement. However, due to the non ideal patch material slightly higher losses are expected compared to copper patches. Furthermore the application field of this new device in wireless communication systems is outlined.