A rectenna has been designed to provide DC energy for the propulsion engines of the Microwave Lightcraft. It uses very high density sub‐arrays to convert the microwave energy in a beam of power density 4 kW/cm2 with an efficiency of 56 %. Each sub‐array consists of an ensemble of very short dipoles and Schottky diode elements deposited on and within a semiconductor substrate. The substrate sits down on a low‐loss wafer carrier which also performs the function of water cooling. The rectenna design permits the periodic reflection and focussing of the beam to maintain a plasma nose‐cone in front of the vehicle. In addition, the rectenna is capable of transmitting stored energy to this ‘air‐spike’ region to maintain that plasma in the event of a loss of beam power.
A 35 GHz Extremely High Power Rectenna For The Microwave Lightcraft
BEAMED ENERGY PROPULSION: First International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion ; 2002 ; Huntsville, Alabama (USA)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 664 , 1 ; 292-302
2003-05-14
11 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
A 35 GHz Extremely High Power Rectenna for the Microwave Lightcraft
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2003
|NTIS | 1991
|Microwave Power Beaming Infrastructure for Manned Lightcraft Operations
American Institute of Physics | 2006
|Microwave Power Beaming Infrastructure for Manned Lightcraft Operations
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2006
|Microwave Power Beaming Infrastructure for Manned Lightcraft Operations: Part 2
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2008
|