Inkjet Printed Flexible Patch Antennas for Full Duplex and Circular Polarization Applications

Flexible devices are getting more popular nowadays because of it’s lightweight, small size, portability, less expensive, environment friendly, and disposability. Flexible antenna, part of flexible devices, has become an important component of research for electrical engineers. The flexible antenna can be built using different materials like PET, PEN, liquid crystal polymer, PDMS, and textiles like woolen felt, cotton, cordura, and fleece as substrate. This thesis focuses on designing and fabricating antennas on PET paper by using inkjet printing for full duplex and circular polarization applications. Firstly, a flexible full-duplex antenna is proposed with robust performance and high isolation for 5.8 GHz using foam and PET paper. The patch of the antenna is modified by corner cut and inset feeding, while the defected ground structure is used to improve isolation between transmit and receive ports. Silver nanoparticle ink is used for printing the antenna in an inkjet printer. The fabricated version supports simulated results by showing acceptable performance in desired bandwidth. Bending tests and human body loading experiments are carried out on the fabricated antenna to demonstrate the antenna’s effectiveness for wearable applications. To the best of author’s knowledge, this is the first flexible full duplex antenna designed, achieving a high isolation level of -50 dB. Moreover, wide bandwidth, improved gain, and radiation efficiency, low cost, easy fabrication, and robust performance make it a good option for 5.8 GHz wearable applications. Secondly, a simple and compact CPW-fed circularly polarized antenna is presented. The proposed antenna consists of a modified “S” shaped patch, which has slots in three different places along with a slot in the ground plane. These slots contribute to increasing the bandwidth of the axial ratio. The antenna has a 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth of 10.47% (4.07 GHz- 4.52 GHz) and an impedance bandwidth of 17.53% (3.8 GHz - 4.53 GHz) covering the full region of axial ratio band. Moreover, this antenna is designed using PET paper which makes it flexible in nature and the first flexible antenna in the discussed frequency range to the best of author’s knowledge. Finally, an inkjet printed circularly polarized antenna using CPW feeding on PET substrate is proposed. The antenna is designed and optimized using ANSYS HFSS, which operates at 4.01 GHz - 5.05 GHz and 6.23 GHz - 7.58 GHz with a return loss of < -10 dB. On top of that, the antenna shows an axial ratio of less than 3 dB at 4.23 GHz - 4.62 GHz and 7.11 GHz - 7.36 GHz, whereas left hand circular polarization (LHCP) is observed in the first band and right hand circular polarization (RHCP) is observed in the second band. The dimension of the antenna is 31 mm x 37 mm x 0.135 mm. Measurement of the fabricated version shows good agreement with the simulated version. To the best of author’s knowledge, this antenna is the first flexible CPW-fed circularly polarized antenna with dual band

Reconfigurable Millimeter-Wave Components Based on Liquid Crystal Technology for Smart Applications

This paper presents recent development of tunable microwave liquid crystal (LC) components in the lower millimeter wave (mmW) regime up to the W-band. With the utilization of increasing frequency, conventional metallic waveguide structures prove to be impractical for LC-based components. In particular, the integration of the electric bias network is extremely challenging. Therefore, dielectric waveguides are a promising alternative to conventional waveguides, since electrodes can be easily integrated in the open structure of dielectric waveguides. The numerous subcategories of dielectric waveguides offer a high degree of freedom in designing smart millimeter wave components such as tunable phase shifters, filters and steerable antennas. Recent research resulted in many different realizations, which are analyzed in this paper. The first demonstrators of phased array antennas with integrated LC-based phase shifters are reviewed and compared. In addition, beam steering with a single antenna type is shown. Furthermore, the possibility to realize tunable filters using LC-filled dielectric waveguides is demonstrated

Micro/Nano Structures and Systems

Micro/Nano Structures and Systems: Analysis, Design, Manufacturing, and Reliability is a comprehensive guide that explores the various aspects of micro- and nanostructures and systems. From analysis and design to manufacturing and reliability, this reprint provides a thorough understanding of the latest methods and techniques used in the field. With an emphasis on modern computational and analytical methods and their integration with experimental techniques, this reprint is an invaluable resource for researchers and engineers working in the field of micro- and nanosystems, including micromachines, additive manufacturing at the microscale, micro/nano-electromechanical systems, and more. Written by leading experts in the field, this reprint offers a complete understanding of the physical and mechanical behavior of micro- and nanostructures, making it an essential reference for professionals in this field

Mutual coupling suppression in multiple microstrip antennas for wireless applications

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonMutual Coupling (MC) is the exchange of energy between multiple antennas when placed on the same PCB, it being one of the critical parameters and a significant issue to be considered when designing MIMO antennas. It appears significantly where multiple antennas are placed very close to each other, with a high coupling affecting the performance of the array, in terms radiation patterns, the reflection coefficient, and influencing the input impedance. Moreover; it degrades the designed efficiency and gain since part of the power that could have been radiated becomes absorbed by other adjacent antennas’ elements. The coupling mechanism between multiple antenna elements is identified as being mainly through three different paths or channels: surface wave propagation, space (direct) radiation and reactive near-field coupling. In this thesis, various coupling reduction approaches that are commonly employed in the literature are categorised based on these mechanisms. Furthermore, a new comparative study involving four different array types (PIFA, patch, monopole, and slot), is explained in detail. This thesis primarily focuses on three interconnected research topics for mutual coupling reduction based on new isolation approaches for different wireless applications (i.e. Narrowband, Ultra-wide-band and Multi-band). First, a new Fractal based Electromagnetic Band Gap (FEBG) decoupling structure between PIFAs is proposed and investigated for a narrowband application. Excellent isolation of more than 27 dB (Z-X plane) and 40 dB (Z-Y plane) is obtained without much degradation of the radiation characteristics. It is found that the fractal structures can provide a band-stop effect, because of their self-similarity features for a particular frequency band. Second, new UWB-MIMO antennas are presented with high isolation characteristics. Wideband isolation (≥ 31 dB) is achieved through the entire UWB band (3.1-10.6 GHz) by etching a novel compact planar decoupling structure inserted between these multiple UWB antennas. Finally, new planar MIMO antennas are presented for multi-band (quad bands) applications. A significant isolation improvement over the reference (≥ 17 dB) is achieved in each band by etching a hybrid solution. All the designs reported in this thesis have been fabricated and measured, with the simulated and measured results agreeing well in most cases

Metamateriales sub-longitud de onda para microdispositivos fotónicos de altas prestaciones

Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, leída el 28-04-2020Photonics has become of paramount importance in many areas of our everyday life owing to its inherent potential to develop not only telecom and datacom solutions, but also many other applications such as metrology [DeMiguel’18], energy generation and saving [Polman’12, Miller’17], spectrometry [Velasco’13a], sensing [Rodríguez-Barrios’10], medicine [Morgner’00] and industrial manufacturing [Malinauskas’16], to name a few. Particularly, integrated optics has attracted increasing industrial attention and scientific efforts to implement photonic integrated circuits (PICs) capable of tackling all abovementioned tasks in compact and efficient systems.Among all the available materials, silicon photonics leverages the maturity of the fabrication techniques reached by the microelectronics industry, enabling cost-effective mass production [Chen’18]. Different material platforms with a high refractive index contrast have been proposed for silicon photonics to achieve higher integration levels and perform more complex functions in a single chip, such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and silicon nitride (Si3N4, commonly simplified to SiN). The increased integration capacity of silicon photonics has enabled to tackle one of our greatest technological challenges: global data traffic inside data centers. Besides short-range optical interconnects for telecom and datacom applications, the progress in silicon photonics also encompasses many other untapped applications that are being explored by academia and industry: absorption spectroscopy and bio-sensing [Herrero-Bermello’17, Wangüemert-Pérez’19], light detection and ranging (LIDAR) [Poulton’17a], quantum computing [Harris’16], microwave and terahertz photonics [Marpaung’19, Harter’18], nonlinear optics [Leuthold’10], and many others...La fotónica ha adquirido una importancia fundamental en muchos ámbitos de nuestra vida cotidiana debido a su potencial intrínseco para desarrollar soluciones no sólo en el campo de las telecomunicaciones y las interconexiones de corto alcance, sino también en otras muchas áreas como la metrología [DeMiguel’18], la generación de energía [Polman’12, Miller’17], la espectrometría [Velasco’13a], la detección [Rodríguez-Barrios’10], la medicina [Morgner’00] y la fabricación industrial [Malinauskas’16]. En particular, la óptica integrada ha atraído tanto la atención de la industria como los esfuerzos científicos para implementar circuitos fotónicos integrados (PICs, Photonic Integrated Circuits) capaces de abordar todas las tareas mencionadas anteriormente en sistemas compactos y eficientes. Entre todos los materiales disponibles, la fotónica de silicio aprovecha la madurez de las técnicas de fabricación alcanzadas por la industria de la microelectrónica, permitiendo una producción en masa rentable [Chen’18]. Para maximizar su densidad de integración y poder realizar funciones más complejas en un único chip, diferentes plataformas materiales con un alto contraste de índice de refracción se han propuesto, como por ejemplo las plataformas de silicio sobre aislante (SOI, Silicon-On-Insulator) y de nitruro de silicio (Si3N4, comúnmente simplificada a SiN, Silicon Nitride). Esta mayor densidad de integración ha permitido abordar uno de nuestros mayores desafíos tecnológicos hasta la fecha: el tráfico de datos global dentro de los centros de datos. Además de las interconexiones ópticas de corto alcance, el progreso de la fotónica de silicio también comprende muchas otras aplicaciones inexploradas que están siendo estudiadas en el ámbito académico e industrial como, por ejemplo, la espectroscopía de absorción y biodetección [Herrero-Bermello’17, Wangüemert-Pérez’19], LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) [Poulton’17a], computación cuántica [Harris’16], fotónica de microondas y terahercios [Marpaung’19, Harter’18], óptica no lineal [Leuthold’10], y muchas otras...Fac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEunpu

Optoelectronics – Devices and Applications

Optoelectronics - Devices and Applications is the second part of an edited anthology on the multifaced areas of optoelectronics by a selected group of authors including promising novices to experts in the field. Photonics and optoelectronics are making an impact multiple times as the semiconductor revolution made on the quality of our life. In telecommunication, entertainment devices, computational techniques, clean energy harvesting, medical instrumentation, materials and device characterization and scores of other areas of R&D the science of optics and electronics get coupled by fine technology advances to make incredibly large strides. The technology of light has advanced to a stage where disciplines sans boundaries are finding it indispensable. New design concepts are fast emerging and being tested and applications developed in an unimaginable pace and speed. The wide spectrum of topics related to optoelectronics and photonics presented here is sure to make this collection of essays extremely useful to students and other stake holders in the field such as researchers and device designers

Biosensors for Diagnosis and Monitoring

Biosensor technologies have received a great amount of interest in recent decades, and this has especially been the case in recent years due to the health alert caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sensor platform market has grown in recent decades, and the COVID-19 outbreak has led to an increase in the demand for home diagnostics and point-of-care systems. With the evolution of biosensor technology towards portable platforms with a lower cost on-site analysis and a rapid selective and sensitive response, a larger market has opened up for this technology. The evolution of biosensor systems has the opportunity to change classic analysis towards real-time and in situ detection systems, with platforms such as point-of-care and wearables as well as implantable sensors to decentralize chemical and biological analysis, thus reducing industrial and medical costs. This book is dedicated to all the research related to biosensor technologies. Reviews, perspective articles, and research articles in different biosensing areas such as wearable sensors, point-of-care platforms, and pathogen detection for biomedical applications as well as environmental monitoring will introduce the reader to these relevant topics. This book is aimed at scientists and professionals working in the field of biosensors and also provides essential knowledge for students who want to enter the field