High-Frequency Parametric Study of Electroplated Conductive Filaments in 3D Printed Microwave Topologies

This article presents a high-frequency characterization from 1 up to 10 GHz of electroplated conductive filaments in 3D printed microwave topologies. This study implements different microstrip lines and antennas to compare their performance as-is and with the electroplating process. The results for the microstrip lines show a significant decrease in losses for the electroplated devices, even reaching loss levels of pure copper devices. In addition, considerations about the required thickness for the conductor are analyzed by considering the skin depth requirement for nonideal conductors. The results for a patch antenna measurement confirm that the antenna height can be reduced to extremely low levels.