Three-Dimensional Reconfigurable V-Band Antenna via Mechanically-Guided Method

This paper presented a three-dimensional (3D) reconfigurable antenna operating in the V-band (40-75 GHz) for the first time. Based on co-design of mechanics and electromagnetics, a dipole antenna of polymer-metal-polymer microstructure was fabricated using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) techniques, enabling reconfigurability through the repeated stretching and releasing of a bonded elastomer substrate. The center frequency (f
c
) of the antenna was switched from 47.0 GHz in the 2D state to 56.6 GHz in the 3D state with an increased bandwidth from 7.2 GHz (43.2-50.4 GHz) to 13.9 GHz (47.4-61.3 GHz). The properties of this 3D reconfigurable antenna, particularly its large bandwidth, made it a promising component for V-band multifunctional, high-resolution radio frequency (RF) microsystems. These systems had potential applications in body sensing and portable health monitoring.