Tunable THz multi-beam antenna sensor using graphene sheets

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Reflectarray antennas are crucial for directional signal transmission.
• Graphene's unique electromagnetic properties offer potential for tunable antenna applications.
• Existing biosensors often lack the tunability and multi-beam capabilities for complex sensing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and present a multi-beam reflectarray antenna sensor.
• To utilize graphene for tunable directional radiation in medical and biosensing.
• To achieve enhanced channel capacity and environmental sensing capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Design of a microstrip antenna with a rectangular graphene patch feed.
• Integration of 76 rectangular graphene sheets within a SiO2 substrate and atop an analyte layer.
• Analysis of reflection spectra for various graphene chemical potentials and refractive indices (1.1-1.6).

Main Results:

• Demonstration of a directional multi-beam antenna by adjusting graphene chemical potential.
• Achieved fractional bandwidth up to 79% between 1.03 and 2.38 THz.
• Obtained a sensitivity of 0.18 THz/RIU at a refractive index of 1.5 and chemical potential of 2.

Conclusions:

• The proposed graphene-based reflectarray antenna sensor offers tunable multi-beam radiation.
• This design shows significant potential for advanced medical, biosensing, and environmental monitoring applications.
• The tunability and sensitivity achieved highlight graphene's utility in next-generation sensing technologies.