UWB Antenna with Enhanced Directivity for Applications in Microwave Medical Imaging

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Microwave medical imaging (MMI) research is growing.
• Antenna performance is critical for MMI systems.
• Improving antenna directivity is a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the directivity of a compact ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna for MMI.
• To investigate the performance of a reflector-loaded antenna (RLA) for MMI applications.

Main Methods:

• Designed and analyzed a UWB antenna with a Yagi-Uda-inspired reflector.
• Evaluated antenna performance in terms of gain, directivity, and signal integrity.
• Simulated MMI performance using a human breast model.

Main Results:

• The RLA showed significant improvements in gain and directivity compared to a reference antenna.
• A 4 dBi increase in realized gain and 14.26 dB in transmitted field strength were observed in a breast model.
• Signal shape was preserved with a 94.86% correlation factor.
• Similar directivity enhancements were achieved when modifying another antenna for head imaging.

Conclusions:

• Reflector-loaded antennas (RLAs) are feasible for enhancing MMI performance.
• RLAs offer improved gain and signal strength for MMI systems.
• This approach shows promise for advancing microwave medical imaging technology.