Improved efficiency electrically small planar inverted-F antenna

Selective Electron Beam Melting Manufacturing of Electrically Small Antennas

“…Simulated results for radiation efficiency are presented for a type of planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA), introduced in [19], as it is voluminously extended into the 3 rd dimension. The results are validated with three PBF-AM fabricated antennas: flat, partspherical (~66% fill-factor), and full-spherical (~100% fill-factor), using the Wheeler cap method [20][21][22].…”

“…This eliminates the need for any sacrificial support structures under overhanging features, which are sometimes required in SLM printers. Figure 2 shows the front profile view of the PIFA variant, based on the original design reported in [19]; the metallization is approximately 0.7 mm thick, resting on a hollow substrate with the same wall thickness, with the entire back side metallized to form the 'ground plane'. The centrally placed digitated structure contributes to a lowering of the resonance frequency of the antenna through additional capacitance and inductance.…”

“…However, this was not a focus of the current research, as uncertainties in material properties and manufacturing tolerances meant that the focus was shifted purely to comparative efficiency measurements. Note than an extensive parametric study on antenna design and performance is presented in the reference [19], and is applicable to the voluminous antennas presented here.…”