BST-Inspired Flexible and Beamsteerable Reflectarray Antennas

知识优势：BST转移技术的研究表明，在高温下在传统的刚性基板上制造的BST器件可以转移到低熔点的柔性聚合物基板上，而不会影响尺寸公差或失去高频性能。此外，该技术还具有独特的优势，如低衬底损耗、低寄生电感和电容以及高集成度。这些特性使得BST灵感的柔性电子器件特别适用于需要保形形状、高频性能和可重构性的自适应RF前端。为了发展必要的知识基础，这将导致下一代先进天线系统的成功开发，几个重要的技术目标将在拟议的研究计划中完成：（1）开发具有优化性能的反射阵列单元，如损耗，相位摆动和带宽。(2)开发具有优化性能的反射阵列天线，如增益、效率和扫描角度。(3)开发偏置网络和电路来控制电压。(4)调查这种BST技术在W波段灵活和波束可调天线方面的潜力。更广泛的影响：本研究将使柔性电子技术在以下几个方面超越目前的状态：（1）推进柔性电子技术，用于需要频率可调谐性和形状适应性的应用。(2)促进BST材料用于具有高可调谐性、低损耗、低封装成本和高频能力的可调谐RF元件。(3)深入了解材料特性和微细加工技术，以及受BST启发的柔性电子设备开发。(4)有效地将联合收割机天线技术与材料开发相结合，以实现先进的功能。(5)通过最终在柔性衬底上提供高质量的BST元件，使RF、微波、天线和生物医学行业及其客户受益。对教育和培训的更广泛影响将包括：培训BST材料、薄膜加工、微波工程和可调谐元件设计、制造和表征方面的研究生和本科生研究人员;准备学生在材料科学和微波工程的新兴技术领域具有挑战性的职业生涯;为K提供实践研究培训机会-12名学生和代表性不足的本科生在每个夏季学期通过参加奥兰多科学中心教育计划和多样性和少数民族工程计划;并将微细加工和可调元件的研究发现纳入当前的电气工程，以及中央佛罗里达大学提供的机械工程研究生/本科课程。

Intellectual Merits:Research on BST transfer technology has revealed that BST devices fabricated on conventional rigid substrates at elevated temperatures can be transferred onto low-melting-point flexible polymer substrates without compromising the dimensional tolerances or losing the high-frequency performance. In addition, this technique offers unique advantages such as low substrate loss, low parasitic inductance and capacitance, and high integration capabilities. These properties make BST-inspired flexible electronics particularly suitable for adaptive RF front ends which require conformal shape, high-frequency performance, and reconfigurability. In order to develop the necessary knowledge base, which would lead to the successful development of next-generation advanced antenna systems, several important technical objectives will be accomplished in the proposed research program: (1) Develop reflectarray unit cell with optimized performance such as loss, phase swing and bandwidth. (2) Develop reflectarray antennas with optimized performance such as gain, efficiency, and scan angle. (3) Develop the biasing network and circuitry to control the voltage. (4) Investigate the potential of this BST technology for flexible and beamsteerable antennas operating up to W band. Broader Impacts: The proposed research will move the flexible electronics technology beyond the current state in the following aspects: (1) Advance flexible electronics technology for applications which require frequency tunability and form adaptability. (2) Promote the use of BST materials for tunable RF components with high tunability, low-loss, low packaging costs, and high-frequency capabilities. (3) Achieve an in-depth understanding of material properties and microfabrication technology, as well as device development inspired by BST for flexible electronics. (4) Effectively combine antenna technology with material development to achieve advanced capabilities. (5) Substantially benefit the RF, microwave, antenna, and biomedical industries and their customers by ultimately providing high-quality BST components on flexible substrates.The broader impacts to education and training will include: training graduate and undergraduate researchers on BST materials, thin film processing, microwave engineering, and tunable component design, fabrication, and characterization; preparing students for challenging careers in the emerging technology areas in materials science and microwave engineering; providing hands-on research training opportunities for K-12 students and underrepresented undergraduate students in each summer semester through participating the Orlando Science Center education program and Diversity and Minority Engineering Programs; and incorporating research discoveries in microfabrication and tunable components into the current electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering graduate/undergraduate courses offered at the University of Central Florida.