Solar cell stacked modified Z-double L-slot quad-band PIFA

This paper proposes a novel low-profile quad-band multifunctional solar PIFA consisting of a polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) solar cell stacked suspended modified radiating element with Z and double L-slots. The measured return loss (S11) and E-plane/H-plane far-field radiation patterns demonstrate that the fabricated solar PIFA has quad-band radiation characteristics operating at the frequency bands of 1.75-1.82 GHz, 2.38-2.61 GHz, 3.26-3.53 GHz and 4.66-4.83 GHz with measured impedance bandwidths of 3.91%, 9.38%, 7.94% and 3.58% and gains of 2.1, 6.4, 7.6 and 5.5 dBi, respectively. The proposed solar PIFA operates with a measured solar efficiency of 13.9%, generating a DC power output of 34 mW as a result of the photovoltaic effect.