A Deployable and Cost-Effective Kirigami Antenna for Sub-6 GHz MIMO Applications

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Electromagnetics
• Antenna Design

Background:

• Sub-6 GHz applications require efficient and compact antenna solutions.
• Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology enhances wireless communication performance.
• Kirigami-inspired designs offer unique mechanical and electromagnetic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a low-cost, deployable, and integratable Kirigami antenna for sub-6 GHz applications.
• To achieve polarization diversity using radiating and parasitic elements.
• To validate the antenna's performance through simulation and prototyping.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a MIMO antenna inspired by Kirigami art.
• Utilizing flexible copper-clad laminate (FCCL) for antenna construction.
• Simulation and measurement of antenna parameters including resonance frequency, bandwidth, isolation, gain, efficiency, and envelope correlation coefficient (ECC).

Main Results:

• The antenna resonates at 2.5 GHz with an 860 MHz bandwidth (2.19-3.05 GHz).
• Isolation between elements exceeds 15 dB.
• Peak realized gain is approximately 11 dBi, with total efficiency over 90%.
• Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) is below 0.003, and channel capacity is ≥17 bps/Hz.

Conclusions:

• The proposed Kirigami MIMO antenna demonstrates excellent performance metrics.
• Its low profile and robust characteristics make it suitable for 5G small-cell base stations and autonomous vehicles.
• The design validates the potential of Kirigami art in developing advanced antenna systems.