Miniaturized Wideband Antenna Prototype Operating over the Ku-Band

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• The demand for compact and efficient antennas is growing across various wireless communication systems.
• Traditional antenna designs often face limitations in bandwidth and size.
• Three-dimensional (3D) printing offers new possibilities for fabricating complex antenna structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a wideband antenna design utilizing 3D printing technology.
• To investigate the performance of an antenna fabricated with PREPERM 10 material.
• To demonstrate a miniaturized metasurface approach for antenna enhancement.

Main Methods:

• Antenna design and simulation using electromagnetic principles.
• Fabrication of the antenna prototype using 3D printing with PREPERM 10 and ABS materials.
• Performance characterization including VSWR, directivity, and reflection coefficient measurements.
• Integration of a miniaturized non-uniform metasurface.

Main Results:

• Achieved a wide frequency bandwidth from 10 GHz to 15 GHz (Ku-band) with a VSWR < 2.
• Attained a maximum directivity of 20 dBi.
• Demonstrated a 50% reflection coefficient bandwidth.
• Validated the feasibility with consistent measured and simulated results.

Conclusions:

• The proposed 3D printed wideband antenna demonstrates excellent performance characteristics.
• The use of PREPERM 10 material and a miniaturized metasurface is effective for antenna design.
• The study confirms the viability of 3D printing for advanced antenna fabrication.