Performance Characteristics of the Thin-Film, Etched-Circuit Rectenna

Measurement of DC power output, temperature rise of the rectifying diode as measured with the fluoroptic temperature probe, and efficiency have been made on the thin-film, etched-circuit rectenna foreplane as a function of incident microwave power and velocity of laminar air flow parallel to rectenna. When the rectenna is illuminated with 2.45 GHz microwave power, DC power output densities of 1 kw/M/sup 2/ and DC power to weight ratios of kw/kg have been obtained with air velocity of 10 ft/sec at sea level density and diode temperature rise of 100°C.