Monolithic paper-based & inkjet-printed technology for conformal stepped-FMCW GPR applications: First results

The first design for a monolithic FMCW Ground Penetrating Radar system integrated onto an inkjet-printed patterned flexible substrate is presented. Using advanced materials printing and surface mounting techniques, each signal stage, including the antennas, can be built onto one continuous portable conformal substrate. This would make radar systems easy to roll up to miniaturized highly-portable sizes and volumes, that are really critical especially in “rugged” and hazardous remote environments. This paper addresses several design challenges involved in the development of monolithic paper-based radar systems including unique design, fabrication, and testing procedures that differ from the conventional radar systems. A paper-based mixer circuit is built and the performance is to be compared to that of a state of the art mixer board to verify the advantages of the newly proposed inkjet-printer approach.