Material Characterization of Additively Manufactured Conformal Dielectrics for Antennas
Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Graduate
Project Type
group
Authors' Class Standing
Seng Loong Yu, Graduate Eduardo Rojas, Faculty
Lead Presenter's Name
Seng Loong Yu
Faculty Mentor Name
Eduardo A. Rojas-Nastrucci
Abstract
Direct digital manufacturing (DDM) is an rapidly evolving fabrication method to prototype, and potentially mass produce, low-cost and high-performance 3D RF and mm-wave circuits and antennas. DDM enables the fabrication of low-profile conformal antennas on functional surfaces such as the wings of aircraft of spacecraft structures. Micro-dispensing is a DDM process used to deposit dielectric and conductive pastes needed to realize the wireless devices. For the design process it is essential to understand what material properties are and how they would perform while being used to fabricate the antennas. This work focuses on the electromagnetic characterization of micro-dispensed dielectrics using coplanar waveguides (CPW). This methodology allows quick S-parameters-based measurement of the properties of such materials to ensure first-pass success on device design and fabrication. For this work, DuPont 5036 and DuPont 8153 were additively manufactured and their extracted relative permittivities are 4 and 27.5, respectively, up to frequencies of 20 GHz. Having these accurate measured permittivity values enable the design of the conformal antennas.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Material Characterization of Additively Manufactured Conformal Dielectrics for Antennas
Direct digital manufacturing (DDM) is an rapidly evolving fabrication method to prototype, and potentially mass produce, low-cost and high-performance 3D RF and mm-wave circuits and antennas. DDM enables the fabrication of low-profile conformal antennas on functional surfaces such as the wings of aircraft of spacecraft structures. Micro-dispensing is a DDM process used to deposit dielectric and conductive pastes needed to realize the wireless devices. For the design process it is essential to understand what material properties are and how they would perform while being used to fabricate the antennas. This work focuses on the electromagnetic characterization of micro-dispensed dielectrics using coplanar waveguides (CPW). This methodology allows quick S-parameters-based measurement of the properties of such materials to ensure first-pass success on device design and fabrication. For this work, DuPont 5036 and DuPont 8153 were additively manufactured and their extracted relative permittivities are 4 and 27.5, respectively, up to frequencies of 20 GHz. Having these accurate measured permittivity values enable the design of the conformal antennas.