Polydimethylsiloxane membranes for millimeter-wave planar ultra flexible antennas

Abstract

We present here the use of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes as a new soft polymer substrate (εr ≈ 2.67 at 77 GHz) for the realization of ultra-flexible millimeter-wave printed antennas thanks to the extremely low Young's modulus (EPDMS < 2 MPa). Ultimately this peculiar property enables one to design wide-angle mechanically beam-steering antennas and flexible conformal antennas. The experimental characterization of PDMS material in V- and W-bands highlights high loss tangent values (tanδ ≈ 0.04 at 77 GHz). Thus micromachining techniques have been developed to reduce dielectric losses for antenna applications at millimeter waves. Here the antenna performance is demonstrated in the 60 GHz band by considering a single microstrip patch antenna supported by a PDMS membrane over an air-filled cavity. After a brief description of the design approach using the method of moments (MoM) and the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique, the technological processes are described in detail. The input impedance and radiation patterns of the prototype are in good agreement with numerical simulations. The radiation efficiency of the micromachined antenna is equal to 60% and is in the same order as that obtained with conventional polymer bulk substrates such as Duroids. These results confirm the validity of the new technological process and assembly procedure, and demonstrate that PDMS membranes can be used to realize low-loss planar membrane-supported millimeter-wave printed circuits and radiating structures.