Transparent and Flexible Radio Frequency (RF) Structures

With increasing demand for a wearable devices, medical devices, RFID, and small devices, there is a growing interest in the field of transparent and flexible electronics. In order to realize optically transparent and flexible microwave components, novel materials can be used. The combination of new materials and radio frequency (RF) structures can open interesting perspectives for the implementation of cost effective wireless communication system and wearable device design. The transparent and flexible RF structures can facilitate its application in the transparent and curved surfaces. In this dissertation, we present several demonstrations, all based on optically transparent and flexible materials and structures. We firstly demonstrate an optically transparent, flexible, polarization-independent, and broadband microwave absorber. The bow-tie shaped array which possesses double resonances is designed and measured. The combined resonances lead to more than 90% total absorption covering a wide frequency range from 5.8 to 12.2 GHz. Due to the use of thin metal and PDMS, the whole structure is optically transparent and flexible. Secondly, we demonstrate a new method for fabricating transparent and stretchable radiofrequency small antennas by using stretchable micromesh structures. Size reduction is achieved by using the zeroth-order resonant (ZOR) property. The antennas consist of a series of tortuous micromesh structures, which provides a high degree of freedom for stretching when encapsulated in elastomeric polymers and is optically transparent. Accordingly, these antennas can be stretched up to 40% in size without breaking. The resonant frequency of the antennas is linearly reconfigurable from 2.94 GHz to 2.46 GHz upon stretching. Next, we describe an ultra-low profile and flexible triple-polarization antenna. It is realized by using ZOR array antenna with high port-to-port isolation. This flexible antenna is fabricated with a flexible substrate and silver nanowire vias to be used in various wearable applications. Lastly, we demonstrate a dual-band tri-polarized antenna based on half-mode hexagonal (HMH) SIW structure. CRLH HMHSIW antenna and ZOR HMHSIW antenna are designed to have dual-band operating frequencies. This novel antenna can provide much improved wireless communication efficiency for the WBAN system under various incident field angles and polarizations.PHDElectrical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147562/1/tjang_1.pd

Metamaterial antennas for cognitive radio applications

Cognitive radio is one of the most promising techniques to efficiently utilize the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. As the Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) band is targeted (470-862 MHz), the size of the antenna becomes challenging. Metamaterial concept is used as a miniaturization technique. Two antennas are designed, fabricated and measured. The first one achieved multiband operation by loading it with a metamaterial unit cell. These bands are controlled by engineering the dispersion relation of the unit cell. The second one, which is a 2-lumped elements loaded antenna, achieved wideband operation through the entire DVB-H band with a planar size of 5×2 cm^2. A model is proposed to explain, through simple numerical simulations and an optimization algorithm, the behavior of these component loaded antennas (which are equivalent to metamaterial inspired electrically small antennas)

Novel Dual Band Frequency Selective Surface and its Applications on the Gain Improvements of Compact UWB Monopole Antenna

In this work, a highly directional ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip patch antenna as a single-element is suggested. The proposed antenna’s gain is enhanced with a novel dual-band frequency selective surface (FSS) placed beneath it. The FSS design has a hexagonal structure with meander line inductances and a capacitance-like structure connecting all of the corners to the middle. There is no metallic layer on the other side of the substrate, which shows transmission zeros at 4.95 GHz and 12.7 GHz, and a modified U-shaped monopole antenna is developed. First, the performance characteristics of the antenna and FSS are analyzed from the simulation results, and they are validated experimentally after fabrication, followed by measurement. The compact configuration comprises an antenna loaded with the proposed FSS results S11 less than -10 dB from 3.15 GHz to 22.65 GHz, covering the UWB band together with the X, Ku-band with a bandwidth of 19.5 GHz (151.16% FBW). The antenna’s overall physical dimensions would be 38.8 mm×38.8 mm×25.2 mm (0.407λo×0.407λo×0.265λo), with λo denoting the lowest frequency’s free-space wavelength. The FSS loading results in a 9.9 dBi maximum gain at 10 GHz. The antenna’s small size increases bandwidth, and its high peak gain makes it ideal for use in real-time applications

Impedance Transformers

Non

Reconfigurable and multi-functional antennas

This thesis describes a research into multi-frequency and filtering antennas. Several novel antennas are presented, each of which addresses a specific issue for future communication systems, in terms of multi-frequency operation, and filtering capability. These antennas seem to be good candidates for implementation in future multiband radios, cognitive radio (CR), and software defined radio (SDR). The filtering antenna provides an additional filtering action which greatly improves the noise performance and reduces the need for filtering circuitry in the RF front end. Two types of frequency reconfigurable antennas are presented. One is tunable left-handed loop over ground plane and the second is slot-fed reconfigurable patch. The operating frequency of the left handed loop is reconfigured by loading varactor diodes whilst the frequency agility in the patch is achieved by inserting switches in the coupling slot. The length of the slot is altered by activating the switches. Compact microstrip antennas with filtering capabilities are presented in this thesis. Two filtering antennas are presented. Whilst the first one consists of three edge-coupled patches, the second filtering antenna consists of rectangular patch coupled to two hairpin resonators. The proposed antennas combine radiating and filtering functions by providing good out of band gain suppression

Wide Band Embedded Slot Antennas for Biomedical, Harsh Environment, and Rescue Applications

For many designers, embedded antenna design is a very challenging task when designing embedded systems. Designing Antennas to given set of specifications is typically tailored to efficiently radiate the energy to free space with a certain radiation pattern and operating frequency range, but its design becomes even harder when embedded in multi-layer environment, being conformal to a surface, or matched to a wide range of loads (environments). In an effort to clarify the design process, we took a closer look at the key considerations for designing an embedded antenna. The design could be geared towards wireless/mobile platforms, wearable antennas, or body area network. Our group at UT has been involved in developing portable and embedded systems for multi-band operation for cell phones or laptops. The design of these antennas addressed single band/narrowband to multiband/wideband operation and provided over 7 bands within the cellular bands (850 MHz to 2 GHz). Typically the challenge is: many applications require ultra wide band operation, or operate at low frequency. Low frequency operation is very challenging if size is a constraint, and there is a need for demonstrating positive antenna gain

Metamaterial

In-depth analysis of the theory, properties and description of the most potential technological applications of metamaterials for the realization of novel devices such as subwavelength lenses, invisibility cloaks, dipole and reflector antennas, high frequency telecommunications, new designs of bandpass filters, absorbers and concentrators of EM waves etc. In order to create a new devices it is necessary to know the main electrodynamical characteristics of metamaterial structures on the basis of which the device is supposed to be created. The electromagnetic wave scattering surfaces built with metamaterials are primarily based on the ability of metamaterials to control the surrounded electromagnetic fields by varying their permeability and permittivity characteristics. The book covers some solutions for microwave wavelength scales as well as exploitation of nanoscale EM wavelength such as visible specter using recent advances of nanotechnology, for instance in the field of nanowires, nanopolymers, carbon nanotubes and graphene. Metamaterial is suitable for scholars from extremely large scientific domain and therefore given to engineers, scientists, graduates and other interested professionals from photonics to nanoscience and from material science to antenna engineering as a comprehensive reference on this artificial materials of tomorrow

Antennas and Propagation

This Special Issue gathers topics of utmost interest in the field of antennas and propagation, such as: new directions and challenges in antenna design and propagation; innovative antenna technologies for space applications; metamaterial, metasurface and other periodic structures; antennas for 5G; electromagnetic field measurements and remote sensing applications

Antenna Designs for 5G/IoT and Space Applications

This book is intended to shed some light on recent advances in antenna design for these new emerging applications and identify further research areas in this exciting field of communications technologies. Considering the specificity of the operational environment, e.g., huge distance, moving support (satellite), huge temperature drift, small dimension with respect to the distance, etc, antennas, are the fundamental device allowing to maintain a constant interoperability between ground station and satellite, or different satellites. High gain, stable (in temperature, and time) performances, long lifecycle are some of the requirements that necessitates special attention with respect to standard designs. The chapters of this book discuss various aspects of the above-mentioned list presenting the view of the authors. Some of the contributors are working strictly in the field (space), so they have a very targeted view on the subjects, while others with a more academic background, proposes futuristic solutions. We hope that interested reader, will find a fertile source of information, that combined with their interest/background will allow efficiently exploiting the combination of these two perspectives

A High Gain Omnidirectional Antenna Using Negative Permeability Metamaterial

A high gain omnidirectional antenna with low profile is proposed and is investigated numerically and experimentally. Based on the conventional center-fed circular epsilon-negative (ENG) zeroth-order resonator (ZOR) antenna, dendritic structure negative permeability metamaterial (NPM) is used as the substrate to enhance the gain of the omnidirectional antenna. The experimental results show that the gain of a center-fed circular ENG ZOR antenna with NPM substrate is enhanced about 2.2 dB, and the efficiency is enhanced about 38%, in the whole broad operating bandwidth as compared to that of the antenna without NPM substrate, which can be used to improve the reliability of wireless communications