Dual-Band Circular Polarized Flexible Implantable Antenna Using Reactive Impedance Substrate

Abstract

This communication presents a compact wideband implantable loop antenna with circular polarization (CP) characteristics at 920 MHz industrial scientific and medical (ISM) (902–928 MHz) band and 2.45 GHz ISM band (2.40–2.48 GHz). To widen the impedance bandwidth (IBW) and improve the axial ratio (AR) behavior of the antenna, a reactive impedance substrate (RIS) is exploited. Meandering each arm of the loop makes the antenna compact in size, while the generation of surface wave by the RIS and open-ended configuration of the antenna collectively renders circular polarized wave. The performance of the antenna is analyzed using a single-layer skin model and other existing phantom models. The key feature of the proposed antenna is its dual-band CP behavior, which persists even at the flexion deformation of the human skin. An IBW of 123% with a 3 dB AR bandwidth of 15% and 8.7% is obtained at the planar state of the skin implantable antenna. To validate the simulated results, in vitro measurements were experimentally performed. Also, to find the maximum transmission range of the antenna for biotelemetry communication, the link margin has been analyzed. Finally, to use the antenna inside the biomedical device, the effect of microelectronic components is investigated.