Robust implantable antenna for in-body communications

A compact implantable printed meandered folded dipole antenna with a volume of 101.8 mm³ and robust performance is presented for operation in the 2.4 GHz medical ISM bands. The implant antenna is shown to maintain its return loss performance in the 2360-2400 MHz, 2400-2483.5 MHz and 2483.5-2500 MHz frequency bands, simulated in eleven different body tissue types with a broad range of electrical properties. Bandwidth and resonant frequency changes are reported for the same antenna implanted in high water content tissues such as muscle and skin as well as low water content tissues such as subcutaneous fat and bone. The antenna was also shown to maintain its return loss performance as it was moved towards a tissue boundary within a simulated phantom testbed.