Title :
Flexible fabric-base patch antenna with protective coating
Author :
Heikkinen, Jouko J. ; Laine-Ma, Teija T. ; Kivikoski, Markku A.
Author_Institution :
Tampere Univ. of Technol., Tampere
Abstract :
Antennas on a flexible substrate were designed and fabricated in order to study their feasibility for GPS reception. The focus of the experiments was on the design of fabric- base antennas and their manufacturing methods. Corner-truncated square patch antennas were fabricated by wet-etching copper-clad PI and PET film and then attaching the film on a fabric covered with a thermoweldable plastic. Four different coatings were applied to protect the patch antenna surface - silicon spray, parylene C, heat seal/dielectric paste, and PET-film. Only minor effects of coating on antenna characteristics were discovered - the effect of fabrication tolerances was far more significant.
Keywords :
microstrip antennas; protective coatings; GPS reception; PET film; antenna characteristics; corner-truncated square patch antennas; fabrication tolerances; flexible fabric-base patch antenna; protective coating; thermoweldable plastic; wet-etching copper-clad PI; Coatings; Fabrics; Global Positioning System; Joining processes; Manufacturing; Patch antennas; Plastic films; Positron emission tomography; Protection; Substrates;
Conference_Titel :
Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, 2007 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Honolulu, HI
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-0877-1
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-0878-8
DOI :
10.1109/APS.2007.4396459
