Flexible transparent antennas(FTAs)are widely used in wireless transmission fields,and their technological iterations are accelerating.However,the high losses caused by materials and structures limit the development o...Flexible transparent antennas(FTAs)are widely used in wireless transmission fields,and their technological iterations are accelerating.However,the high losses caused by materials and structures limit the development of FTAs with both high light transmission and high gain,and the rapid iteration rate demands greater process flexibility,which makes it difficult for existing technologies to achieve both demands.Here,we design a novel shell-core structure composite metal mesh(CMM)FTA to achieve extremely low skin depth loss and ohmic loss using skin effect and report a novel hybrid additive manufacturing method based on electric field oriented deposition to achieve efficient and flexible manufacturing of the unique Ag/Cu core-shell structure CMM FTA.The typical sample has a light transmittance of 80%(including substrate)when the sheet resistance is 0.29Ω·sq^(-1),and has excellent bending and torsion resistance.The peak gain in the working band is as high as 5.22 dB,and the efficiency is 80%,which is close to the performance of the opaque Cu patch antenna.It also realizes smooth and stable real-time wireless transmission under bending and long-distance conditions.This method addresses the shortcomings of FTAs,namely their high cost,low manufacturing efficiency,and low performance,especially in the rapid iterative development of antennas.展开更多
The performances of two microstrip patch antennas with low visual impact are presented in this paper and compared to an opaque solution. These consist in a copper film deposited on a Borofloat 33 glass substrate throu...The performances of two microstrip patch antennas with low visual impact are presented in this paper and compared to an opaque solution. These consist in a copper film deposited on a Borofloat 33 glass substrate through a thin titanium gripping layer. The mesh is obtained by wet chemical etching. Antennas differ by the dimensions in the ground plane mesh pattern. The opaque antenna only consists of a full copper deposit. The transparency work was mainly carried out on the ground plane as it is the largest area available. Specific attention is paid to optical transparency in the visible light spectrum, sheet resistance and electromagnetic performances in the [2.8;3 GHz] bandwidth. They are measured in each case, compared and discussed. Both simulations and measurement results show good performance, especially the antenna with the most transparent ground plane: a high level of optical transparency of almost 73%, coupled with a sheet resistance of less than 0.028 Ohms/sq and a gain of about 3.22 dBi at 2.8 GHz, slightly higher than the gain of the reference opaque antenna of about 2.66 dBi at 2.99 GHz. The opaque reference antenna has a bandwidth of 1.30 GHz while those of the transparent antennas are about 1.60 GHz and 2.10 GHz (S<sub>11</sub> < −10 dB). This solution presents a real interest for low cost integrated and discrete antenna solutions in ISM band.展开更多
This article proposes a new type of antenna which allows getting rid of certain limitations of classic monopole antenna. Like a normal monopole, this antenna belongs to a class of radio antenna consisting of a straigh...This article proposes a new type of antenna which allows getting rid of certain limitations of classic monopole antenna. Like a normal monopole, this antenna belongs to a class of radio antenna consisting of a straight rod-shaped conductor. But unlike a classic monopole, this antenna can operate at all frequencies of a very wide range. In addition, it does not require grounding. The article considers the wide possibilities of antenna applications.展开更多
The optically transparent antenna is becoming a very attractive proposition for various applications, such as wearable devices and vehicle radars. The fabrication of transparent flexible/conformal antennas is a long-l...The optically transparent antenna is becoming a very attractive proposition for various applications, such as wearable devices and vehicle radars. The fabrication of transparent flexible/conformal antennas is a long-lasting interest in academia and industry.However, the preparation of radio-frequency radiators with excellent conductivity and optical transmittance is still quite challenging. Herein, we introduce a facile approach to directly fabricate optically transparent flexible and conformal coplanar waveguide-fed antennas using programmable electrohydrodynamic lithography. Metallic meshes with transmittance above 90%have been successfully created based on the conformal electrohydrodynamic printing of high-viscosity photoresist masks, and the corresponding sheet resistance can be tuned down to ~2 Ω/□. Then, the geometrical structure of the proposed transparent antenna has been systematically optimized because of the basic radio frequency components, including the radiator, feeder line,ground plane, and size of metallic meshes. Optically transparent flexible and conformal antennas are finally obtained, presenting an optical transmittance of 92% and 55%, respectively. The simulated and measured results demonstrate that the transparent antennas with a good optoelectronic performance indeed exhibit a nice electromagnetic behavior. We believe that this newly developed conformal electrohydrodynamic lithography method can be utilized to fabricate a variety of other transparent electronic devices, such as transparent electromagnetic shielding meshes on aircraft canopies, in the future.展开更多
Microwave antennas are essential elements for various applications,such as telecommunication,radar,sensing,and wireless power transport.These antennas are conventionally manufactured on rigid substrates using opaque m...Microwave antennas are essential elements for various applications,such as telecommunication,radar,sensing,and wireless power transport.These antennas are conventionally manufactured on rigid substrates using opaque materials,such as metal strips,metallic tapes,or epoxy pastes;thus,prohibiting their use in flexible and wearable devices,and simultaneously limiting their integration into existing optoelectronic systems.Here,we demonstrate that mechanically flexible and optically transparent microwave antennas with high operational efficiencies can be readily fabricated using composite nanolayers deposited on common plastic substrates.The composite nanolayer structure consists of an ultra-thin copper-doped silver film sandwiched between two dielectric films of tantalum pentoxide and aluminum oxide.The material and thickness of each constituent layer are judiciously selected such that the whole structure exhibits an experimentally measured averaged visible transmittance as high as 98.94%compared to a bare plastic substrate,and simultaneously,a sheet resistance as low as 12.5Ω/sq.Four representative types of microwave antennas are implemented:an omnidirectional dipole antenna,unidirectional Yagi-Uda antenna,low-profile patch antenna,and Fabry-Pérot cavity antenna.These devices exhibit great mechanical flexibility with bending angle over 70°,high gain of up to 13.6 dBi,and large radiation efficiency of up to 84.5%.The proposed nano-engineered composites can be easily prepared over large areas on various types of substrates and simultaneously overcome the limitations of poor mechanical flexibility,low electrical conductivity,and reduced optical transparency usually faced by other constituent materials for flexible transparent microwave antennas.The demonstrated flexible microwave antennas have various applications ranging from fifth-generation and vehicular communication systems to bio-signal monitors and wearable electronics.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.52375348 and 52175331)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province,China(Grant Nos.ZR2020ZD04 and ZR2022ME014).
文摘Flexible transparent antennas(FTAs)are widely used in wireless transmission fields,and their technological iterations are accelerating.However,the high losses caused by materials and structures limit the development of FTAs with both high light transmission and high gain,and the rapid iteration rate demands greater process flexibility,which makes it difficult for existing technologies to achieve both demands.Here,we design a novel shell-core structure composite metal mesh(CMM)FTA to achieve extremely low skin depth loss and ohmic loss using skin effect and report a novel hybrid additive manufacturing method based on electric field oriented deposition to achieve efficient and flexible manufacturing of the unique Ag/Cu core-shell structure CMM FTA.The typical sample has a light transmittance of 80%(including substrate)when the sheet resistance is 0.29Ω·sq^(-1),and has excellent bending and torsion resistance.The peak gain in the working band is as high as 5.22 dB,and the efficiency is 80%,which is close to the performance of the opaque Cu patch antenna.It also realizes smooth and stable real-time wireless transmission under bending and long-distance conditions.This method addresses the shortcomings of FTAs,namely their high cost,low manufacturing efficiency,and low performance,especially in the rapid iterative development of antennas.
文摘The performances of two microstrip patch antennas with low visual impact are presented in this paper and compared to an opaque solution. These consist in a copper film deposited on a Borofloat 33 glass substrate through a thin titanium gripping layer. The mesh is obtained by wet chemical etching. Antennas differ by the dimensions in the ground plane mesh pattern. The opaque antenna only consists of a full copper deposit. The transparency work was mainly carried out on the ground plane as it is the largest area available. Specific attention is paid to optical transparency in the visible light spectrum, sheet resistance and electromagnetic performances in the [2.8;3 GHz] bandwidth. They are measured in each case, compared and discussed. Both simulations and measurement results show good performance, especially the antenna with the most transparent ground plane: a high level of optical transparency of almost 73%, coupled with a sheet resistance of less than 0.028 Ohms/sq and a gain of about 3.22 dBi at 2.8 GHz, slightly higher than the gain of the reference opaque antenna of about 2.66 dBi at 2.99 GHz. The opaque reference antenna has a bandwidth of 1.30 GHz while those of the transparent antennas are about 1.60 GHz and 2.10 GHz (S<sub>11</sub> < −10 dB). This solution presents a real interest for low cost integrated and discrete antenna solutions in ISM band.
文摘This article proposes a new type of antenna which allows getting rid of certain limitations of classic monopole antenna. Like a normal monopole, this antenna belongs to a class of radio antenna consisting of a straight rod-shaped conductor. But unlike a classic monopole, this antenna can operate at all frequencies of a very wide range. In addition, it does not require grounding. The article considers the wide possibilities of antenna applications.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2021YFB3200703)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52175537, 51975235, and52188102)。
文摘The optically transparent antenna is becoming a very attractive proposition for various applications, such as wearable devices and vehicle radars. The fabrication of transparent flexible/conformal antennas is a long-lasting interest in academia and industry.However, the preparation of radio-frequency radiators with excellent conductivity and optical transmittance is still quite challenging. Herein, we introduce a facile approach to directly fabricate optically transparent flexible and conformal coplanar waveguide-fed antennas using programmable electrohydrodynamic lithography. Metallic meshes with transmittance above 90%have been successfully created based on the conformal electrohydrodynamic printing of high-viscosity photoresist masks, and the corresponding sheet resistance can be tuned down to ~2 Ω/□. Then, the geometrical structure of the proposed transparent antenna has been systematically optimized because of the basic radio frequency components, including the radiator, feeder line,ground plane, and size of metallic meshes. Optically transparent flexible and conformal antennas are finally obtained, presenting an optical transmittance of 92% and 55%, respectively. The simulated and measured results demonstrate that the transparent antennas with a good optoelectronic performance indeed exhibit a nice electromagnetic behavior. We believe that this newly developed conformal electrohydrodynamic lithography method can be utilized to fabricate a variety of other transparent electronic devices, such as transparent electromagnetic shielding meshes on aircraft canopies, in the future.
文摘Microwave antennas are essential elements for various applications,such as telecommunication,radar,sensing,and wireless power transport.These antennas are conventionally manufactured on rigid substrates using opaque materials,such as metal strips,metallic tapes,or epoxy pastes;thus,prohibiting their use in flexible and wearable devices,and simultaneously limiting their integration into existing optoelectronic systems.Here,we demonstrate that mechanically flexible and optically transparent microwave antennas with high operational efficiencies can be readily fabricated using composite nanolayers deposited on common plastic substrates.The composite nanolayer structure consists of an ultra-thin copper-doped silver film sandwiched between two dielectric films of tantalum pentoxide and aluminum oxide.The material and thickness of each constituent layer are judiciously selected such that the whole structure exhibits an experimentally measured averaged visible transmittance as high as 98.94%compared to a bare plastic substrate,and simultaneously,a sheet resistance as low as 12.5Ω/sq.Four representative types of microwave antennas are implemented:an omnidirectional dipole antenna,unidirectional Yagi-Uda antenna,low-profile patch antenna,and Fabry-Pérot cavity antenna.These devices exhibit great mechanical flexibility with bending angle over 70°,high gain of up to 13.6 dBi,and large radiation efficiency of up to 84.5%.The proposed nano-engineered composites can be easily prepared over large areas on various types of substrates and simultaneously overcome the limitations of poor mechanical flexibility,low electrical conductivity,and reduced optical transparency usually faced by other constituent materials for flexible transparent microwave antennas.The demonstrated flexible microwave antennas have various applications ranging from fifth-generation and vehicular communication systems to bio-signal monitors and wearable electronics.
