GOALI: Design of Imbedded Microstrip Antennas for Wireless Communication and Remote Sensing

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0080559FurseTraditional wireless communication is done in an air-to-air environment. Imbedded applications require hardware that can function in an air-to-subsurface interface or subsurface -to- subsurface interface. Examples include antennas that can be implanted in the human body for data links with implantable medical devices (cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, implantable nerve and muscle stimulators, and hormone pumps), avalanche transmitters, and communication from inside tanks filled with caustic or dangerous materials. In addition to the use of imbedded antennas for wireless communication, these antennas make excellent sensors because they are inherently sensitive to their environment. They are used for remote sensing in geophysical prospecting, dielectric measurement, agricultural measurement, animal or human proximity sensing, and potentially in ice and snow monitoring for avalanche prediction.In addition to the present needs for imbedded antennas, the expansion of MEMS and wireless communication systems, which are expected to play a dominant role in next generation technology, will add dramatically to the applications for imbedded antennas. Ultra-small devices (small enough to be injected in a human vein, for instance) and the desire to communicate with them will inevitably lead to the need for miniaturized antennas imbedded in lossy environments. Furthermore, since these antennas can act as sensors as well as communicators, the possibilities for monitoring and controlling MEMS devices are enormous, and microstrip antennas are a natural addition to MEMS devices. This project anticipates a far-reaching need for a better understanding of microstrip antennas imbedded in lossy environments, an understanding that can contribute a dramatic new ability to sense and communicate with new frontiers in medicine, space, agriculture, and more.Industrial interest in imbedded antennas is extremely high, and funded research projects from this laboratory are already being beta tested for commercial products. These industrial projects have provided excellent experience in imbedded antenna design, but NSF funding is needed to systematically develop a complete analysis of the effects of the critical antenna design parameters (size, shape, feed system, substrate, superstrate, etc.) on performance (gain, bandwidth, radiation pattern, resonant frequency, impedance, etc.). This rigorous understanding is needed to clarify the effects empirically observed and to produce globally optimal designs.The objectives of this proposal are to quantify the effects of imbedded microstrip antenna design parameters on performance, design "smart" imbedded patch antennas to adapt to changing environments, develop artificial materials for testing antennas in lossy environments, and continue interfacing with industry throughout antenna developments.