Three-Dimensional Printed Annular Ring Aperture-Fed Antenna for Telecommunication and Biomedical Applications

The design of the aperture-fed annular ring (AFAR) microstrip antenna is presented. This proposed design will ease the fabrication and usability of the 3D-printed and solderless 2D materials. This antenna consists of three layers: the patch, the slot within the ground plane as the power transfer medium, and the microstrip line as the feeding. The parameters of the proposed design are investigated using the finite element method FEM to achieve the 50 Ω impedance with the maximum front-to-back ratio of the radiation pattern. This study was performed based on four steps, each investigating one parameter at a time. These parameters were evaluated based on an initial design and prototype. The optimized design of 3D AFAR attained S₁₁ around 17 dB with a front-to-back ratio of more than 30 dB and a gain of around 3.3 dBi. This design eases the process of using a manufacturing process that involves 3D-printed and 2D metallic materials for antenna applications.