A Transparent antenna is an antenna that is optically transparent or allows the passage of visible light up to a certain degree through the antenna. Such an optically transparent antenna can be integrated on the surface of windows, screens, and car sunroofs without any significant visual impact on the surface. This type of antenna can also be applied across a larger surface thereby providing better performance.
At present, there are four kinds of materials that can be used to make optically transparent antennas:
1. A transparent metal oxide film, for example, indium tin oxide film (ITO film). A compromise must be made between the light transmittance and surface impedance when using ITO films for designing the antenna.
2. An AgHT series multilayer thin film. Compared to the ITO film, the AgHT film has better conductivity and worse transmittance.
3. An ultrathin metal film made of copper, silver, gold, and other metal conductors. Antennas made of this material have high radiation efficiency. But the light transmittance is pretty low.
