Design and Simulation Analysis of a 17 Element Spiral Antenna Array for Brain Imaging

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Antenna Design
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas are crucial for advanced sensing applications.
• Early detection of brain tumors can significantly improve patient outcomes.
• Accurate modeling of human brain structures is essential for developing effective diagnostic tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and simulate an UWB antenna array helmet for brain tumor detection.
• To evaluate the performance of the antenna system in differentiating between healthy brain tissue and simulated tumors.
• To investigate the impact of antenna positioning on detection accuracy.

Main Methods:

• A simple Archimedean spiral antenna fed by a 6-section exponential impedance transformer and a parallel-strip to microstrip balun was designed.
• The antenna and balun were optimized for the ultra-wideband (UWB) frequency range of 1.6-12 GHz.
• A 17-element array helmet was simulated using CST software around a human brain voxel model with a 1 cm blood clot (tumor).
• Reflection loss was compared with and without the simulated tumor for various antenna positions.

Main Results:

• The antenna and balun were successfully designed for the UWB frequency range.
• Simulations demonstrated the ability to differentiate between healthy tissue and a simulated tumor based on reflection loss.
• The study analyzed how different antenna positions affect the accuracy of tumor detection.

Conclusions:

• The developed UWB antenna array helmet shows promise for non-invasive brain tumor detection.
• The system's sensitivity to simulated tumors highlights its potential in medical diagnostics.
• Further research can optimize antenna placement and signal processing for enhanced clinical application.