The fabrication and analysis of a polyimide based loop antenna for 2.45GHz WBAN applications

The design, fabrication, and performance analysis of a Polyimide Loop antenna is presented. This design is particularly intended for wearable wireless body area network applications where safe, conformal, and flexible antennas are desirable. The performance of the Polyimide Loop antenna was compared to that of a standard copper wire loop antenna. Both antennas demonstrated comparable free space performances. When the antennas were placed in close proximity to human tissue both experienced a shift in the resonance frequency due to on-body coupling. The Polyimide Loop antenna was also tested in flexed conditions and a minimal shift in resonance frequency was observed. The flexible polyimide loop antenna was shown to have a superior on body coupling compared to the equivalent rigid copper wire loop.