A Dual-Polarized Solar Cell Stacked Microstrip Patch Antenna with a λ/4 DC/RF Isolation Circuit for 5.8 GHz Band WiMAX Networks

In this paper, photovoltaic integration of a dual-polarized microstrip patch antenna is demonstrated for 5.8 GHz band WiMAX networks. The proposed antenna consists of a dual-fed +/-45 degrees dual-polarized square microstrip patch stacked with a polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) solar cell operating as an RF parasitic patch element in addition to its photovoltaic function. A DC/RF isolation circuit consisting of quarter-wavelength microstrip transmission lines providing RF open-circuit and DC short-circuit impedances at the DC terminals of the stacked solar cell is used in order to minimize the effect of solar operation on the RF response of the antenna. It is demonstrated that the proposed solar patch antenna operates across a measured frequency band of 5.66-5.91 GHz with a gain of 7.6 dBi at the resonance frequency of 5.8 GHz.