Optically Transparent Antennas: A Survey of Transparent Microwave Conductor Performance and Applications

Over the past 30 years, optically transparent conductors have revolutionized electronics in many televisions, smartphones, and solar panels. These conductors are materials that simultaneously allow the transmission of light and provide electrical conductivity [1]. Transparent conducting films (TCFs), the most widely used optically transparent conductor, are utilized in smartphone touch screens and flat-panel televisions, among other devices [2]. Since these deposited thin films are typically transparent in the visible spectrum, they can be deposited on aircraft windows to provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding of aircraft electronics. Historically, these materials have been used primarily for applications in which optical transparency was required because a human was supposed to be able to see through the material easily (visible spectrum transparency) and electrical conductivity requirements were minimal since most applications were low frequency [3].