Temperature-driven switchable-beam Yagi-Uda antenna using VO2 semiconductor-metal phase transitions

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.optcom.2017.01.042

In this study we propose and analyze a temperature driven switchable-beam vertically polarized directional antenna for micro/nano scale optical communications. Temperature enabled phase transitions of a thin layer of vanadium dioxide reshape the beam of a Yagi-Uda antenna by changing the directionality of the radiation pattern and altering the emission rate. The role of each antenna element in the Yagi-Uda array's emission is demonstrated at different temperatures by comparing the amplitudes and phases of induced currents in the elements. Thus a substantial directional gain switching is shown using resonance damping manipulation of antenna elements.