Additively Manufactured Flexible RF Structures for Next Generation of Wireless Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Modern communication systems require multiple multiband radio frequency (RF) components such as antennas, electromagnetic interference shielding structures and matching networks to be packaged together into a single low-cost module. Moreover, the explosive growth of wearable and hearable devices requires out-of-the-box solutions for ultra-miniatured and flexible RF structures to meet the design requirements of the product. Traditional subtractive manufacturing technologies (SMTs) such as photolithography, milling and chemical etching are proving to be insufficient to meet the demands of rapidly growing communication industry due to their high cost, longer lead time and production of high volume of environmentally harmful chemical waste. In order to address these problems, additive manufacturing technologies (AMTs) such as inkjet printing and 3D printing have emerged as one of the most promising manufacturing technologies in past years to fabricate the next generation of 3D/4D flexible electronics and RF components. AMTs generally involve the layer-by-layer deposition of one or more conductive, dielectric or semi-conductive materials on a given substrate to realize complex multilayer 3D structures. They also feature lower setup cost, high repeatability, large scale-up capability and environmental benignity as compared to other SMTs. Moreover, current inkjet and 3D printers can realize 1-20 μm and 10-50 μm feature sizes, respectively, making them extremely attractive for millimeter (mm)-wave applications. We are pleased to invite you to highlight your work in the Special Issue. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Energy harvesting system;
2. Millimeter wave flexible antennas and systems;
3. Inkjet/3D/4D printed RF structures for 6G and beyond;
4. Miniaturized antennas and modules for hearable/wearable devices;
5. Transparent and low-profile antennas;
6. Body worn antennas and RF circuits for wireless communication and energy harvesting;
7. Wearable antennas and systems for 5G/IoT and medical systems.

We look forward to your submissions. 

Dr. Syed Abdullah Nauroze
Dr. Khaled Obeidat
Guest Editors

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