Design and simulation of a microstrip antenna for the needs of a hybrid FSO/RF system

The technology of transmission systems is experiencing a rapid expansion today. The availability of up-to-date information everywhere and always has become feasible through optical fiber used as a transmission medium. Features such as high transmission speed or transmission stability meet the requirements for quality communication. The substitute for optical fiber is propagation in the open environment, realized by means of optical rays. This system is called FSO (Free Space Optics), and its properties are comparable to fiber optic transmission. Its advantage is easy installation even in hard-to-reach areas where physical optical systems would not be as efficient. However, FSO systems are affected by weather conditions, most of all fog, when the connection often fails. Therefore, these situations are solved by using a backup RF (Radio Frequency) line. Such a combined system is called a hybrid FSO/RF system. The work examines the properties of the designed microstrip antennas. Usable in the secondary line of a hybrid FSO/RF system. A basic model of such an antenna was used, from which further experiments were carried out, such as changing the size of the substrate and the guide surface or different cut-outs through the surface of the microstrip antenna. Finally, the changes were investigated even after the use of different materials for the microstrip line and the ground.