基于液态金属的柔性频率可重构CPW天线设计

Design of Flexible Frequency Reconfigurable CPW Antenna Based on Liquid Metal

针对固态金属天线在受力弯曲后易产生裂纹导致功能失效的问题,本文提出一种频率可重构的柔性液态金属共面波导馈电天线.该天线由四个不同半径的开口谐振环(Split-Ring Resonators,SRR)构成,利用紫外光刻技术(ultraviolet lithography)制备天线的SU-8负模结构,其次浇注聚二甲基硅氧烷进行倒模并键合,最后将液态金属合金注入至微流沟道,完成天线的制作.通过机械施压方式改变不同谐振环间的通断状态,可在1GHz～6GHz范围内实现频率可重构,满足WLAN、WiMAX和部分C波段的通信要求.弹性体和液态金属的特性使天线具有更好的灵活性和耐久度,可应用于集成电子设备的弯曲表面.

When subjected to flexing,conventional metallic structures can crease,fatigue,and eventually fail mechanically with a catastrophic loss of conductivity and functionality.A flexible frequency reconfigurable coplanar waveguide-fed(CPW)antenna consisting of four split-ring resonators(SRRs)with different radii is presented to solve the problem.The SU-8 negative mold structure is fabricated with microfluidic channel by ultraviolet lithography(UV lithography),and then the PDMS(PolyDiMethylSiloxane)is used to cast for the SU-8 microfluidic to obtain a PDMS positive mold structure.Finally,the liquid metal alloy was injected into the microfluidic channels of PDMS.Changing the pass state of the SRRs by mechanical pressure,the antenna can be reconstructed at multiple frequencies within the range of 1GHz^6GHz.The proposed antenna can meet the communication requirement of WLAN,Wi-MAX and C-band.The combined properties of the fluid and the elastomeric substrate result in a flexible and durable antenna that is well suited for simple means of integrating electronic devices on curved surfaces,such as wearable devices and artificial skins.