Compact, High-Performance Mobile Device Antenna - Research & Economic Development - The University of Alabama

Compact, High-Performance Mobile Device Antenna

The Problem:

Antenna material plays an important role in antenna performance, and is an ongoing area of research. Ferrite antennas have found limited use in the wireless application areas of interest, primarily because of their poor radiation efficiency, propensity to thermal damage due to overheating, and their poor frequency response at high carrier frequencies. The ferrite antenna is attractive for use however due to its advantage of miniaturization and its properties of permeability and permittivity. If the relatively high magnetic loss of ferrite substrate can be lowered to sustain the radiation efficiency, the ferrite antennas could find wide use in consumer devices.

The Solution:

Researchers at the University of Alabama have developed a novel ferrite substrate with a permanent magnet film for antennas use in wireless communication systems. The permanent magnet film provides a magnetic field to the ferrite substrate, thereby reducing magnetic loss tangent of the ferrite substrate. This also results in higher resonance frequencies, high antenna radiation efficiency and gain, and wide bandwidth.

Structure & Geometry of Ferrite Helical Antenna
Structure & Geometry of Ferrite Helical Antenna
Ferrite Substrate with In-Plane Magnetization Structure
Ferrite Substrate with In-Plane Magnetization Structure

 

Benefits:

• The permeability of ferrite increases the miniaturization factor and bandwidth of the antenna.
• The magnetic field reduces the magnetic loss tangent of the ferrite substrate.
• High antenna gain.
• Can be used with other permanent magnets, electromagnets, solenoids, and other techniques.

VIEW PATENT INFORMATION HERE


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Patent Information:

For Information, Contact:

Lynnette Scales
Administrative Assistant
The University of Alabama
(205) 348-5433
liscales@ua.edu

Inventors:

Yang-Ki Hong
Jae Jin Lee
Keywords: