CAREER: Flexible, Ultra-Thin, Packaged Antennas and Arrays for Next Generation Wireless Applications

University South Carolina Research Foundation, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

0237783 Ali The primary objective of this research is to investigate, fabricate, and evaluate flexible, ultra-thin, packaged antennas and arrays for future generation wireless applications. Such antennas and arrays will be needed for use in wireless microsensors for pathogen and bio-agent detection, in E-911 (emergency 911) integrated ultra-thin, lightweight, mobile phones for location identification, and in wearable, ultra-thin, multi-functional wireless devices for the police, firemen, and ambulance personnel to ensure enhanced "homeland security." Flexible, ultra-thin, packaged antennas will also play an important role in the development of miniature, ultra-thin GPS (global positioning system) and RFID (radio frequency identification device) modules for implantation under the skin of the terminally ill (Alzheimer patient) and the disabled to pinpoint their locations and monitor their condition. Current state of the art in antenna research does not address the challenges associated with flexible, ultra-thin, packaged design which include narrow bandwidth (due to reduced thickness), degradation in pattern and polarization (due to proximity to metals and displays), and loss in gain (due to proximity to lossy materials). Fundamental research is required to understand the basic properties of a wide variety of antenna configurations both prior to and after packaging/embedding in order to target and address issues such as, design for broader bandwidth, higher gain, optimum pattern coverage, and good axial ratio (for circularly polarized antennas). To realize these goals, a variety of antenna configurations including non-traditional resonant and non-resonant slots, ultra-thin patches, and PIFAs (planar inverted-F antennas) will be fabricated and studied primarily on flexible substrates (thin-film flexible polymers and liquid crystal polymers (LCPs)) both prior to and after packaging/embedding. Antennas will also be investigated on uniquely modified printed circuit boards to significantly reduce thickness without sacrificing performance. Novel, ultra-thin, circularly polarized antennas will be explored for operation in E-911 integrated mobile phones, in wearable devices, and in implanted GPS and RFID modules. Antennas will be studied using full-wave electromagnetic simulation prior to fabrication. Upon fabrication they will be characterized for input impedance, pattern, and gain. This research will bring forth fundamental advances in knowledge and innovation on miniature, ultra-thin, packaged antennas and arrays for future generation wireless devices, which will directly benefit the U.S. economy. The findings of this research will be disseminated through seminars given in local libraries, articles published in technical and non-technical literature, web-based databases, CD-ROMs, and through conference presentations. The proposed project will significantly enhance capabilities for research in microwave engineering at the University of South Carolina (USC) and provide the basic infrastructure required to obtain future competitive federal grants and to educate and train qualified microwave engineers. The major thrusts of the educational component of this proposal for the next several years will include the development of (1) a senior-year undergraduate/graduate level microwave engineering laboratory course, (2) a graduate course on microwave active and passive circuit design, and (3) the reorganization of a graduate course on "Antennas and Radiation" to make it equally suitable for undergraduates. This project will actively involve undergraduates, high-school students, and middle and high school teachers, female and underrepresented minorities by making their research experiences exciting, fun, and rewarding.