Transparent and Flexible Patch Antenna Using MMF for Conformal Wi-Fi 6E Applications

Abstract

In this paper, a patch antenna with compact, flexible, and transparent properties is presented to support Wi-Fi 6E (2.4 GHz/6 GHz) applications. This antenna design was formulated based on a transparent metal mesh film (MMF), for which the average optical transparency (OTav) is 69% and the sheet resistance (Rs) is 0.1 Ω/sq. The measurement results on frequency bands of 2.4–2.51 GHz and 5.87–7.04 GHz show that the average gain exceeds 5.4 dBi and 6.3 dBi with corresponding radiation efficiency rates as high as 67.8% and 70%. In addition, for the purpose of integration into aesthetic devices for smart home applications, the antenna conformed to foam and a lamp. All research outcomes here indicate that the proposed antenna maintains a directional radiation pattern, as well as transparency and flexibility, making it a potential candidate for transparent Internet-of-Things applications.