Polymer resonator antenna arrays (I2I Phase I)

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Wireless devices represent multi-billion dollar industries in Canada, and drive our lives and economy like never before with a desire for miniature communication and sensor devices and networks that are changing the very way we interact with each other and gather data about the environment around us. A new approach to fabricate antennas for commercial wireless applications is to use polymer-based materials. Polymers can be mixed with a wide variety of fillers to produce unique performance capabilities. The natural softness of polymers dramatically simplifies the fabrication, and allows the use of microfabrication techniques to shape thick material layers into complicated geometries and arrays with fine features. Pre-commercial prototype array antennas based on University of Saskatchewan "Polymer-based Resonator Antenna (PRA) technology" will be developed. The PRA antenna array prototypes will be developed specifically for emerging millimeter-wave applications, for instance in high data rate fixed cellular wireless backhaul, and wireless automotive driver assist systems. Several prototypes will be developed to demonstrate different performance characteristics. The prototypes will demonstrate various performance and fabrication advantages for adoption into commercial applications, using novel materials and a polymer-based microfabrication approach.