U.S.-Ireland R&D Partnership: Highly efficient magnetoelectric nano-antenna arrays with wide operational bandwidth

这项研究是犹他州大学、犹他州、爱尔兰共和国的廷德尔研究所和英国北方尔兰爱尔兰贝尔法斯特皇后大学之间的四方合作，旨在开发新一代非传统磁弹性天线，其尺寸范围从nm和um到mm和cms。传统通信天线的尺寸和效率与电磁波波长密切相关。这一事实限制了它们在宽频谱上的性能。为了解决这个问题，该项目将开发一种新型天线的核心技术，称为磁电（ME）天线，可以大大减少给定频率所需的天线尺寸。作为该项目的一部分，研究人员团队将开发和表征在低频（数十千赫）和高频（高达千兆赫兹）下工作的ME天线。该项目中开发的天线可能会影响许多应用和行业的无线通信。在低频下，由于低频下的较低路径损耗，天线可以通过复杂环境实现有效通信。这些包括地下、冰下，也许还有水下通信。在更高频率下的一个引人注目的应用是使用无线植入式设备来监测、感测和控制人体中的靶向药物释放。这种应用受到植入设备物理尺寸的严格限制的极大阻碍。作为该项目的一部分，开发的更小、更高效的天线可以成为无线植入物的一个促成因素，这可能会影响很大一部分人类的生活。在更高的频率下，例如用于5G和6 G通信的频率，该技术可以实现更小，更高效的5G和6 G通信设备。PI建议在三个国家培训本科生和研究生在纳米，微米和介尺寸尺度上制造的磁电（ME）天线。此外，外联工作包括使高中学生特别熟悉夏威夷土著和太平洋岛民在技术领域的情况。在这个项目中，研究人员团队试图通过探索在纳米，微米和中尺度上制造的磁电（ME）天线来实现更小的通信设备。ME天线由磁致伸缩材料与压电材料耦合组成的多材料结构制成。在接收器模式中，结构响应于通过压电材料的作用产生电压的入射电磁波而声振动。在发射器模式中，压电材料被电激励，产生声波，该声波通过磁致伸缩材料的作用产生辐射电磁波。在任一种情况下，尺寸-频率关系由声波长决定，对于给定频率，声波长比电磁波长小几个数量级。这一事实使得天线的数量级小于传统的电磁天线。这个项目将推进ME结构设计和性能的知识状态，特别是无线通信。该项目将探索新的低频天线设计和结构，在中尺度（即，毫米-厘米尺度），并表征它们在有损环境（特别是地下）中的通信使用。将探索用于更高频率通信的微尺度和纳米尺度ME天线。这将需要开发新的制造工艺所需的非标准，纳米图案化的压电陶瓷和磁致伸缩金属陶瓷异质结构。在这两种情况下，低频和高频，新的非线性机械结构将被纳入，以增加天线带宽，而不损失性能。最后，该项目将探索自旋波的调制，同时在不同的磁振子纳米图案磁电天线架构中产生三重声子-磁振子-光子耦合，这代表了一种用于通信的全新ME耦合机制。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research is a four-way collaboration between the University of Utah, Utah State, Tyndall Institute in the Republic of Ireland and Queens University of Belfast in Northern Ireland of UK to develop a new generation of non-traditional magneto-elastic antennas across multiple size scales, from nm and um to mm and cms. The size and efficiency of traditional communications antennas are intimately tied to the electromagnetic wavelength. This fact limits their performance across a wide spectrum of frequencies. To address this issue, this project will develop the core technologies for a new type of antenna, called a magnetoelectric (ME) antenna, that can dramatically reduce the required antenna size for a given frequency. As part of this project, the team of researchers will develop and characterize ME antennas operating at low frequencies (tens of kilohertz), and high frequencies (up to gigahertz). The antennas developed in this project could impact wireless communications across many applications and industries. At low frequency, the antennas can enable effective communications through complex environments due to the lower path loss at low frequency. These include underground, under-ice, and perhaps underwater communications. A compelling application at higher frequencies is the use of wireless implantable devices for monitoring, sensing, and control of targeted drug release in humans. This application is greatly hampered by the strict limitations on the physical size of implanted devices. The smaller, more efficient, antennas developed as part of this project can be an enabling factor for wireless implants which could impact the lives of a large proportion of humanity. At even higher frequencies, such as those used for 5G and 6G communication, this technology can enable smaller and more efficient 5G and 6G communications devices. PI proposes to train undergraduate and graduate students on magnetoelectric (ME) antennas fabricated at the nano-, micro-, and meso- size scales in three countries. In addition, outreach efforts include familiarizing high school students specifically for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations in the technology area.In this project, the team of researchers seeks to enable smaller communications devices through the exploration of magnetoelectric (ME) antennas fabricated at the nano-, micro-, and meso- size scales. ME antennas are made from multi-material structures consisting of magnetostrictive materials coupled with piezoelectric materials. In receiver mode, the structures acoustically vibrate in response to incoming electromagnetic waves producing a voltage through the action of the piezoelectric material. In transmitter mode, the piezoelectric material is excited electrically, producing acoustic waves which create a radiating electromagnetic wave through the action of the magnetostrictive material. In either case, the size-frequency relationship is dictated by the acoustic wavelength which is orders smaller than the electromagnetic wavelength for a given frequency. This fact enables antennas that are an order of magnitude smaller than traditional electromagnetic antennas. This project will advance the state of knowledge for ME structure design and performance specifically, and wireless communications generally. The project will explore novel low frequency antenna design and structures implemented at the meso-scale (i.e., millimeter-centimeter scale) and characterize their use for communication in lossy environments, specifically underground. Micro- and nano-scale ME antennas will be explored for higher frequency communications. This will entail the development of novel fabrication processes needed for non-standard, nano-patterned piezoelectric ceramics and magnetostrictive metal-ceramic heterostructures. In both cases, low frequency and high frequency, novel nonlinear mechanical structures will be incorporated to increase antenna bandwidth without loss of performance. Finally, this project will explore the modulation of spin waves while producing tripartite phonon-magnon-photon coupling in different magnonic nano-patterned magnetoelectric antenna architectures which represents a fundamentally new ME coupling mechanism used for communications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.