Terahertz Reconfigurable Planar Graphene Hybrid Yagi-Uda Antenna

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Applied Physics
• Antenna Engineering
• Terahertz Technology

Background:

• Terahertz (THz) communication systems require antennas with adaptable operating frequencies.
• Traditional antennas often lack the flexibility to cover multiple frequency bands without physical reconfiguration.
• Graphene's tunable conductivity offers a promising avenue for developing reconfigurable electronic components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and analyze a frequency reconfigurable Yagi-Uda antenna for THz communication.
• To demonstrate the antenna's ability to operate across multiple frequency bands by tuning graphene conductivity.
• To evaluate the antenna's performance characteristics, including gain and frequency agility.

Main Methods:

• A Yagi-Uda antenna structure was designed with dipole radiating elements on a dielectric substrate.
• Staggered metal and graphene parasitic patches were integrated at the dipole arms' ends.
• The antenna's operating frequency was reconfigured by applying gate voltage to alter graphene conductivity.

Main Results:

• The proposed reconfigurable hybrid Yagi-Uda antenna successfully operated in five distinct frequency bands.
• A peak gain of 4.53 dB was achieved across the operating bands.
• The gate voltage effectively tuned the antenna's equivalent electrical length, enabling frequency reconfiguration.

Conclusions:

• The designed antenna provides a compact and cost-effective solution for multi-band THz communication.
• Frequency reconfigurability is achieved without altering the antenna's physical structure.
• This technology enhances system performance and adaptability for diverse terahertz applications.