The Problem of Determining the Characteristics of Optical Semiconductors in Plasma Antennas Design and Its Solutions
Mikhail S. Shishkin,
Pavel A. Titovets and
Mikhail O. Fedyuk
The article focuses on the problem of determining optical semiconductor cell characteristics that can be used for plasma antenna development. The problem outlined is associated with the insufficient characteristics (for example, electrical conductivity) in datasheets for semiconductors on the market, which are for the simulation of antennas. An optical semiconductor conductivity calculation method, when representing it as a segment of a microstrip transmission line (a coplanar waveguide) with a known transmission coefficient (S21) as a radio frequency signal passes through it, is suggested. The article presents a simple and easy-to-use experimental setup for the trial of the suggested method. The essence of the method lies in using a PCB with a microstrip line with a gap in the middle. SMA ports for connection with a vector network analyzer are on the edges. A studied optical semi-conductor cell is placed at the transmission line gap, and the transmission coefficient between the two ports can be measured. In addition to that, the conductivity of the cell under illumination can be calculated based on the proposed formulas. The article presents the results of measuring some optical semiconductor cells (resistors, diodes, transistors) and their conductivity calcula-tions under illumination. The results obtained on the conductivity of photocells can be used for simulating antennas that involve optical semiconductor cells.
