Microwave Imaging System using UWB Archimedean Spiral Antenna for Skin Cancer Detection

Microwave imaging (MI) has gathered the interest of cancer researchers due to its inherent advantages of being non-invasive and non-ionizing. Thus, this paper describes designing and developing a compact Archimedean-Spiral microstrip-patch antenna (ASMPA) as a sensor for skin cancer detection via a low-cost monostatic radar-based Microwave imaging (MRMI) approach. The proposed ASMPA consists of a single spiral-shaped patch fed using a slotted microstrip feed line. The designed ASMPA sensor is imprinted on a single layer of Rogers RT5880 substrate, with overall dimensions of 38×38×0.87 mm
³
. The proposed ASMPA is intended to operate in the frequency range from 2.2 to 13.9 GHz (in air) with a fractional bandwidth of 145 %. The proposed ASMPA offers a peak gain of 6.8 dB at a 7.8 GHz frequency. In-silico simulation of the proposed ASMPA in the presence of a four-layered bio-phantom has been conducted in a computer simulation technology (CST) microwave studio (MWS). The Proposed MRMI procedure uses a Coherent Factor Delay Multiply and Sum (CF-DMAS) algorithm to reconstruct the image of the scanned area under test. The ASMPA design also maintains human safety by keeping a Specific Absorption Rate below 1.6 W/Kg i.e. 0.028 W/Kg at 5 GHz. This aligns with the safety criteria established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to minimize potential health hazards associated with exposure to radiofrequency (RF) and microwave (MW) radiation.