Innovative flexible and compact patch antenna for multiband terahertz applications

Abstract

Terahertz antennas have garnered significant attention for use in the fields of telecommunications and medical applications. One of the major issues with THz antennas is the integration of flexibility with multiband characteristics. This article focuses on designing and constructing a new, compact, and flexible dual-band THz antenna using different slots for terahertz applications. The essence of the antenna design is rooted in a careful strategy for positioning slots, both on the ground plane and within the patch. The rising need for flexible electronics is the primary motivation behind the investigation of this flexible, multiband antenna. The examined antenna is supported by a flexible polyimide substrate with small dimensions of 1.5 × 1 × 0.15 mm3. Several adjustments are made to the radiating patch to enable multiband functionality, resulting in operation at 123 GHz and 180.4 GHz. The corresponding return losses are -35.03 dB and -38.71 dB, while the bandwidths for the two frequency bands are 3.3 % and 8.86 %, respectively. For all working bands, the VSWR of the given antenna is lower than 2, with a gain of 4.12 dB and 5.05 dB at the resonating frequency, as well as a radiation efficiency of 81.6 % and 89.3 % inside the resonating bands. Moreover, a parametric investigation was additionally carried out to ascertain the ideal dimensions of the suggested antenna. As the antenna is constructed using a flexible substrate, this article also delves into the analysis of antenna bending in both the x- and y-axes. The suggested antenna can be applied in modern handheld fifth-generation (5 G) and terahertz medical imaging applications, such as breast cancer detection.