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Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and...
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Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Applications

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microwave and Wireless Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 17546

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Pablo Padilla de la Torre

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Signal Theory, Telematics and Communications, University of Granada, Periodista Daniel Saucedo Aranda S/N, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: radiofrequency; antenna design; mobile communications; wireless networks; advanced signal processing
Prof. Dr. Juan F. Valenzuela-Valdés

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Signal Theory, Telematics and Communications, University of Granada, 18014 Granada, Spain
Interests: wireless communications; 5G; antennas; wireless sensor networks
Dr. Carlos Molero Jiménez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Signal Theory, Telematics and Communications, University of Granada, 18014 Granada, Spain
Interests: periodic structures; equivalent circuits; 2D and 3D metasurfaces; polarizers and rotators; reconfigurable metamaterials
Dr. Antonio Alex-Amor

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Signal Theory, Telematics and Communications, University of Granada, 18014 Granada, Spain
Interests: metamaterials; periodic structures; reconfigurable materials; equivalent circuits; computational techniques

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Recent advances in telecommunications demand higher data rates, spectral bandwidth, and lower latency. For that reason, higher frequency ranges are being explored leading to new challenges in design and manufacturing. Modern devices require better accuracy in fabrication, greater compactness, and improved efficiency. Metamaterials are artificial structures that allow tailoring the propagation, scattering, and radiation of electromagnetic waves and have emerged as a candidate to fulfill the aforementioned requirements. They have also been and are still being widely used in the microwave and antenna community for the realization of multiple functionalities, such as absorption, filtering, reconfigurability, scattering control and polarization handling.

The improvement of fabrication techniques during the last decade has allowed for the development of metastructures based on more complex designs. These new types of metastructures usually gain accuracy, exploit the third spatial dimension (3D devices) as well as the temporal dimension (4D devices) or comprise cells with exotic shapes. They are expected to guide a novel generation of devices for the functionalities mentioned above.

This Special Issue is focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  1. Modern communication systems and devices for microwave and mm-wave frequencies;
  2. Metamaterials and frequency selective surfaces (FSS) with enhanced properties. Inclusion of higher symmetries and temporal modulations;
  3. Antennas: phased arrays, microwave lenses, leaky-wave antennas, etc.;
  4. Novel manufacturing techniques such as additive manufacturing (3D printing and inkjet printing) and micromachining;
  5. Analytical and computational methods applied to the analysis of antennas and periodic structures (MoM, equivalent circuits, mode matching, conformal transformations, etc.).

Prof. Dr. Pablo Padilla de la Torre
Prof. Dr. Juan F. Valenzuela-Valdés
Dr. Carlos Molero Jiménez
Dr. Antonio Alex-Amor
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Metamaterials
  • FSS
  • Antennas
  • Plasmonics and topological materials
  • Manufacturing techniques
  • Analytical and computational methods
  • Reconfigurable materials and components
  • Printed electronics
  • Higher symmetries

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 5912 KiB  
Article
Inverted Microstrip Gap Waveguide Coplanar EBG Filter for Antenna Applications
by Luis Inclán-Sánchez
Electronics 2022, 11(18), 2951; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11182951 - 17 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1864
Abstract
The possibility of making compact stopband filters using coplanar-coupled EBG resonators in inverted microstrip gap waveguide technology is studied in this work. To do this, the filtering characteristics of different configurations of mushroom-type elements are shown in which the short-circuit element is placed [...] Read more.
The possibility of making compact stopband filters using coplanar-coupled EBG resonators in inverted microstrip gap waveguide technology is studied in this work. To do this, the filtering characteristics of different configurations of mushroom-type elements are shown in which the short-circuit element is placed on the edge of the resonator’s patch. The behavior of the structure as well as its main advantages such as: low losses, self-packaging, low level of complexity, flexibility and easy design are illustrated in the paper. To evaluate the possibility of integrating these structures in gap waveguide planar antennas feeding networks, a 5-cell EBG filter was designed and built at the X band. The proposed filter reached a maximum rejection level of −35.4 dB, had a stopband centered at 9 GHz and a relative fractional bandwidth below −20 dB of 10.6%. The new compact filter presented a flat passband in which it was well matched and had low insertion losses that, including the connectors, were close to 1.5 dB in most of the band. These results are enough to improve low-complexity future antenna designs with filter functionalities in this technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Applications)
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11 pages, 4166 KiB  
Article
Methodology for Improving Scanning Performance Loading an Array Element with a 3D All-Metal WAIM
by Diego Bermúdez-Martín, Raphaël Gillard, Carlos Molero, Hervé Legay and María García-Vigueras
Electronics 2022, 11(18), 2848; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11182848 - 09 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1550
Abstract
All-metal 3D printing technologies are allowing the conception of new structures for different applications. This publication explores the potential of employing for the first time an all-metal 3D unit-cell topology to perform wide-angle impedance matching layers. A new equivalent circuit is derived for [...] Read more.
All-metal 3D printing technologies are allowing the conception of new structures for different applications. This publication explores the potential of employing for the first time an all-metal 3D unit-cell topology to perform wide-angle impedance matching layers. A new equivalent circuit is derived for the oblique incidence, providing a good estimation of the cell response for the scanning range (θ=[0°,55°]) in the main scanning planes for a linearly polarized radiated field. This analytical model is later used to develop a wide-angle impedance matching design methodology for a generic antenna. This methodology is tested in practice to match a phased array made of metallic horns at 18 GHz. An improvement of 5 dB is obtained in the simulations for angles θ>35° for the H-plane. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Applications)
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12 pages, 655 KiB  
Article
Disorder Effects in One-Dimensionally Periodic Extraordinary Transmission Structures
by Miguel Camacho, Armando Fernández-Prieto, Rafael R. Boix and Francisco Medina
Electronics 2022, 11(18), 2830; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11182830 - 07 Sep 2022
Viewed by 981
Abstract
Extraordinary transmission structures show promising capabilities for highly selective filters in both frequency and angle of incidence. However, their realistic response once manufacturing limitations are taken into account remains unexplored. In this manuscript, we explore a novel degree of freedom: disorder. We expand [...] Read more.
Extraordinary transmission structures show promising capabilities for highly selective filters in both frequency and angle of incidence. However, their realistic response once manufacturing limitations are taken into account remains unexplored. In this manuscript, we explore a novel degree of freedom: disorder. We expand on previously developed highly efficient method of moment (MoM) implementations to study the effects on the transmission properties of large but finite chains of slots due to different families of disorder: lateral and vertical displacements as well as scatterer manipulation (modifying sizes and rotation angles), showing their effects on the transmission spectrum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Applications)
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14 pages, 27058 KiB  
Article
Polarization-Flexible and Frequency-Scanning Leaky-Wave HMSIW Antenna for Vehicular Applications
by Aixin Chen, Xuedong Fu, Weiwei Jiang and Kang An
Electronics 2022, 11(13), 2103; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11132103 - 05 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1551
Abstract
To achieve multifunctional communication and safe driving of a vehicle, a half-mode substrate-integrated waveguide (HMSIW) leaky-wave frequency-scanning antenna with flexible polarization is proposed in this article. It includes two linearly polarized interdigital slot antennas, a compact directional coupler, and microstrip transition lines. It [...] Read more.
To achieve multifunctional communication and safe driving of a vehicle, a half-mode substrate-integrated waveguide (HMSIW) leaky-wave frequency-scanning antenna with flexible polarization is proposed in this article. It includes two linearly polarized interdigital slot antennas, a compact directional coupler, and microstrip transition lines. It can generate either linear polarization (LP) for base station communication or circular polarization (CP) for satellite navigation by configuring the means of excitation. Its radiation beam can be continuously steered with varying frequency in either the LP or the CP state, which is of benefit to safe vehicular driving. In addition, the use of the HMSIW structure reduces the size of the antenna by almost one-half in comparison with the full SIW structure. Measurements were performed on antenna scattering parameters, radiation patterns, gain, and axial ratio (for CP states); the results show good agreement with the simulated results. With its low profile, low weight, low cost, and capability for continuous frequency scanning and variable polarization states, the multifunctional antenna could be extensively used for adapting to changes in environmental conditions or system requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Applications)
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13 pages, 2728 KiB  
Article
Design and Integration of Millimeter-Wave 5G and WLAN Antennas in Perfect Full-Screen Display Smartphones
by Fei-Peng Lai, Shih-Yuan Mi and Yen-Sheng Chen
Electronics 2022, 11(6), 957; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11060957 - 19 Mar 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2360
Abstract
Smartphone industries are seeking to maximize screen size, but a perfect full-screen phone is not yet available due to the unoccupied area required for the mobile antennas. Since a touchscreen is coated with transparent conductive layers, antennas below the touchscreen cannot create outward [...] Read more.
Smartphone industries are seeking to maximize screen size, but a perfect full-screen phone is not yet available due to the unoccupied area required for the mobile antennas. Since a touchscreen is coated with transparent conductive layers, antennas below the touchscreen cannot create outward radiation. Accordingly, a non-metallic area is left for the antennas, which reduces the screen size. In this paper, we propose a design and integration of antennas for future millimeter-wave 5G smartphones to suit a perfect full-screen display. The proposed design consists of three modules, including a 1 × 12 patch antenna array at 28 GHz, a 1 × 8 patch array at 38 GHz, and a loop antenna at 2.45 GHz. The design environment consists of fully metallic top and bottom enclosures, mimicking the touchscreen and the printed circuit board, respectively. The three antennas were implemented on the flanks. Although the design area was limited and contained in parallel conductive plates, the three antennas still provided broad impedance bandwidths (26.5–32.0 GHz, 35.2–42.0 GHz, and 2.41–2.48 GHz) and high gains (16.7 dBi, 16.4 dBi, and 4.3 dBi). The isolation was larger than 20 dB, and the scanning ranges were ±45°. The proposed scheme is the first antenna system designed for perfect full-screen display phones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Applications)
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11 pages, 2593 KiB  
Article
Polarization-Insensitive Unit Cells for a Cost-Effective Design of a 3-D-Printed Fresnel-Lens Antenna
by Salvador Moreno-Rodríguez, Miguel A. Balmaseda-Márquez, Javier Carmona-Murillo and Ángel Palomares-Caballero
Electronics 2022, 11(3), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11030338 - 23 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2506
Abstract
A 3-D printed Fresnel-lens antenna formed by dielectric unit cells insensitive to polarization is presented in this article. The proposed unit cell can be implemented in any azimuth orientation, simplifying the design and the implementation of the Fresnel subzones, which is an advantage [...] Read more.
A 3-D printed Fresnel-lens antenna formed by dielectric unit cells insensitive to polarization is presented in this article. The proposed unit cell can be implemented in any azimuth orientation, simplifying the design and the implementation of the Fresnel subzones, which is an advantage over the previous 3-D-printed Fresnel-lens designs. The unit cell exhibits a T-shaped geometry capable of providing no change in relative permittivity under TE polarizations orthogonal to each other. The novel design of the unit cell also provides robustness under oblique incidence and frequency. These features allow the radial arrangement of the unit cells to configure the subzones of the Fresnel lens, ensuring the desired relative permittivity. Additionally, the geometry of the printed unit cells enables self-supported subzones with the minimum number of unit cells per subzone. A 3-D-printed prototype of the proposed Fresnel lens was manufactured by stereolithography (SLA). The measurement results showed a good agreement with the simulated ones. The measured gain was 26.5 ± 0.5 dBi from 55 GHz to 65 GHz with a mean antenna efficiency of 79%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Applications)
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Review

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24 pages, 3196 KiB  
Review
3-D Metamaterials: Trends on Applied Designs, Computational Methods and Fabrication Techniques
by Antonio Alex-Amor, Ángel Palomares-Caballero and Carlos Molero
Electronics 2022, 11(3), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11030410 - 29 Jan 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4877
Abstract
Metamaterials are artificially engineered devices that go beyond the properties of conventional materials in nature. Metamaterials allow for the creation of negative refractive indexes; light trapping with epsilon-near-zero compounds; bandgap selection; superconductivity phenomena; non-Hermitian responses; and more generally, manipulation of the propagation of [...] Read more.
Metamaterials are artificially engineered devices that go beyond the properties of conventional materials in nature. Metamaterials allow for the creation of negative refractive indexes; light trapping with epsilon-near-zero compounds; bandgap selection; superconductivity phenomena; non-Hermitian responses; and more generally, manipulation of the propagation of electromagnetic and acoustic waves. In the past, low computational resources and the lack of proper manufacturing techniques have limited attention towards 1-D and 2-D metamaterials. However, the true potential of metamaterials is ultimately reached in 3-D configurations, when the degrees of freedom associated with the propagating direction are fully exploited in design. This is expected to lead to a new era in the field of metamaterials, from which future high-speed and low-latency communication networks can benefit. Here, a comprehensive overview of the past, present, and future trends related to 3-D metamaterial devices is presented, focusing on efficient computational methods, innovative designs, and functional manufacturing techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metastructures and Antennas with Enhanced Properties for Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Applications)
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