Research aims at ceramic-based cavity antennas

ERA Technology has started a major research programme to demonstrate an innovative antenna technology using ceramic structures.

ERA Technology has started a major research programme to demonstrate an innovative antenna technology using ceramic structures.

The new technology will combine the efficiency and bandwidth of conventional antennas with the compactness of current ceramic designs.

ERA's new approach uses low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC), which is expected to provide an unbeatable combination of compactness, excellent efficiency, and low cost.

The LTCC process is relatively new and can be used to make compact and complex 3D structures that contain conductors and active electronic circuits as well as the radiating elements.

The new technology is suitable for use in a wide variety of both consumer and military applications.

Because of the rugged ceramic construction, antennas based on the new technology are fully compatible with a range of operating environments.

It will also be possible to fabricate low-cost phased arrays, where each ceramic tile contains both radiating elements and associated active circuitry.

In addition, ERA's technology can be applied to low-gain integrated antennas suitable for use in many types of wireless products.

The new technology will offer operating bandwidths better than 10% (ie +/-5% around the specified operating frequency) and can be configured for multiband applications - something which is very difficult to achieve with existing ceramic antennas.

Dr Robert Pearson, head of the ERA antenna business, states: "This new technology is a real breakthrough because of its versatility, compact size and low manufacturing cost.

In military applications, it offers favourable radar and electromagnetic compatibility characteristics and therefore can be used as a fundamental building block on a range of future military platforms.

As a bonus, the construction technique also offers exceptionally high temperature performance, making it ideal for fast jets and missiles.

Eventually we also foresee highly integrated, yet cost-effective, commercial mobile, wireless and broadband communications products being developed incorporating compact antennas based on this technology".

Following initial studies, ERA Technology has won a contract valued at well over GBP 100,000 from the ERA Foundation to undertake this research and to produce fully working prototypes.

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