AsianScientist (Sep. 3, 2012) – Researchers from A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) have developed a compact antenna that may support Wi-Fi speeds that are more than 200 times faster than present day rates.
The silicon-based cavity-backed slot (CBS) antenna demonstrated 30 times stronger signal transmission over on-chip antennas at 135 GHz, and in combination with other millimeter-wave building blocks, can support wireless speed of 20 Gbps.
At just 1.6mm x 1.2mm, it is the size of a sesame seed and the smallest silicon-based CBS antenna reported to date for ready integration with active circuits.
“The novel use of polymer filling enables more than 70 percent antenna size shrinkage and a record high gain of 5.68 dBi at 135 GHz. By filling the antenna cavity with polymer instead of air, we can achieve a flat surface for subsequent processing by standard technology that is amenable to mass production,” said Dr. Hu Sanming, a key researcher from IME leading the antenna project.
The team has also designed three-dimensional (3D) architecture to integrate the antenna with active circuits to form a fully integrated wireless millimeter-wave system, said Dr. Je Minkyu, Principal Investigator of the Integrated Circuits and Systems Laboratory at IME.
According to the researchers, IME’s innovation will help realize a wireless communication system with very small form factor and almost two-thirds cheaper than a conventional CBS antenna.
The team hopes to commercialize their silicon-based 135 GHz integrative antenna technology by attracting product developers who are looking to capture emerging markets in millimeter-wave applications.
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Source: A*STAR.
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