Advanced Antenna Fabrication Processes (MEMS/LTCC/LCP/Printing)

The future of wireless technology is stressing the development of ubiquitous, low-cost, highly specialized wireless devices, where both the design and fabrication of wireless antennas have an essential role. This chapter presents four modern fabrication processes used for the development of advanced wireless antenna structures, both present and emerging: MEMS, LTCC, LCP, and ink-jet/three-dimensional printing. Each fabrication technique is investigated historically and analytically, discussing early achievements, process development, and several state-of-the-art demonstrations. The strengths and challenges of these additive and subtractive methods are highlighted, outlining the cost, processing time, scalability, and dimensional resolution of each method. Throughout the discussion of these electronic fabrication techniques, an emphasis is placed on the realization of highly efficient, robust antenna structures for a variety of applications, including conformal sensor networks, radar systems, low-cost RFID, and on-chip/ on-package integration.