Microwave Textile Sensors for Breast Cancer Detection

This paper presents an ultra-wideband (UWB) fully textile sensor for Breast Cancer Detection (BCD). The sensor is made of a monopole antenna implemented on cotton substrate with thickness 2 mm and conducting fabric for the radiating element and the ground. The antenna operates at impedance bandwidth < −10dB in the band of 2 to 6 GHz with an overall footprint of 50 × 50 mm². Measurements highly match simulation results. Moreover, performance of antenna before and after subjected to washing is measured and compared. Simulations of antenna in proximity to breast model with and without tumor are also conducted. Finally the specific absorption rate (SAR) is also calculated to insure that the developed textile sensor is safe to be deployed on-body. The proposed work demonstrates the potential to develop wearable microwave imaging system using fully textile antennas.