A programmable solar-powered radio frequency transmitter

This paper proposes a programmable solar-powered radio frequency (RF) transmitter. It employs a novel five-layer structure that effectively integrates solar cells, active circuits, and broadband antenna. This design can directly emit RF signals without the need for additional power supply, enabling efficient energy conversion and transmission. In addition, a U-shaped coupling line model is introduced to evaluate the performance of the active circuit. We fabricated a sample and measured it. The results of the measurements indicate that the proposed RF transmitter can achieve self-powering and programmable output at any frequency within the range of 2.08-4.1 GHz, with an output power of no less than 14 dBm. Moreover, the solar cells are placed on both sides of the circuits and antenna for energy harvesting, achieving 100% sunlight insolation with a 75.5% coverage ratio. This design can be used for self-powered green wireless system applications.