D-fibre antenna for radio-over-fibre in mobile communication systems

Finite element analysis has been used to characterise an all-fibre antenna using piezoelectric polymer coated circular core D-fibre. The response of the D-fibre antenna was determined over a wide frequency range from 100 Hz to 100 MHz. The modelling predicts that the electric field-induced strains will cause a phase shift of 0.06 rad/V/m in the low-frequency (axially unconstrained) region and 0.002 rad/V/m in the high-frequency (axially constrained) region. Using the simulation results an electric field-induced phase shift of 7.35×10^-5 rad/V/m per metre has been achieved which is significantly higher than that obtained by using a (double-cladding) elliptical core D-fibre