VO2‐Based Reconfigurable Antenna Platform with Addressable Microheater Matrix. (21st June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gerislioglu, Burak; Ahmadivand, Arash; Karabiyik, Mustafa; Sinha, Raju; Pala, Nezih
• Is Part Of: Advanced Electronic Materials. Volume 3:Number 9(2017)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2017-06-21
• Subjects: coplanar waveguides -- microheater matrix -- phase change materials -- reconfigurable antennae -- vanadium dioxide; Materials -- Electric properties -- Periodicals; Materials science -- Periodicals; Magnetic materials -- Periodicals; Electronic apparatus and appliances -- Periodicals; 537
• DOI: 10.1002/aelm.201700170
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2199-160X

Abstract

Abstract : This study reports on a reconfigurable antenna platform based on vanadium dioxide (VO2 ), a phase‐change material (PCM) with low transition temperature, integrated with an addressable microheater matrix. For the first time, it is shown that an entire planar antenna can be thermally reconfigured virtually to any pattern by switching the phase of the selected regions of the VO2 layer from insulator to metallic state by indirect thermal stimuli generated by individually addressable nichrome resistive microheaters. Careful selection of the individual pixels to start the phase transition from insulator (OFF) to metallic (ON) state allows creating different antenna patterns with unique resonance properties. Reconfiguring the antenna into different patterns, operating frequency can be tuned from C‐band (4–8 GHz) to X‐band (8–12 GHz), and S‐band (2–4 GHz) frequencies which cover the entire ultra wideband spectrum (3.1–10.6 GHz). The proposed approach provides a promising platform for designing monolithically integrated reconfigurable antennas, radio frequency devices, and circuits for various applications. Abstract : A thermally reconfigurable VO2 ‐based antenna platform is proposed for next‐generation monolithically integrated radio‐frequency devices and circuit applications. This pixelated smart antenna can virtually control the entire planar antenna pattern through a phase‐transition process with an integrated individually addressable microheater matrix, to create several types of antenna structures.