An Ultra‐Wideband Planar Lightweight Antenna With Solar Cells

ABSTRACT An ultra‐wideband antenna with solar cells is presented for low‐carbon wireless communication. Four solar cells are introduced for the radiation structure with a solar cell coverage of 80.9%. A foam substrate with a low permittivity is adopted for lightweight and wideband characteristics. Different resonant modes are stimulated for wideband performance based on the slot and patch structures. The measured results show that the working frequency band (|S11| < −10 dB) is from 1.42 to 5.3 GHz with a relative bandwidth of 115%. Bidirectional radiation patterns are achieved across the passband with an average gain of 4.5 dBi. This ultra‐wideband dual‐function design has a lightweight and planar structure for easy installation. It can accommodate various wireless communication systems (2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G) with the capacity to power self‐supply.