Flexible and Conformal Antennas Based on Corrugated Copper Clad Polyimide Films

Lightweight flexible antennas based on single-layer and multilayer corrugated copper clad polyimide films are presented. The single-layer corrugated patch antenna (SLCPA) comprises a patch radiator with semicircular-shaped corrugations. In the multilayer corrugated patch antenna (MLCPA) an additional corrugated patch is added to the SLCPA to increase the bandwidth while maintaining good conforming properties. Both antennas are designed for the L band and tested for the flat case as well as conformed to a cylinder with radius of 160 mm, 80 mm, 40 mm, and 20 mm. The MLCPA has a bandwidth of 1.198–1.33 GHz (10.42%), and the gain varies from 5.78 dBi to 8.67 dBi for different cases of conforming to a cylinder.