A Compact, Highly Efficient and Flexible Polymer Ultra-Wideband Antenna

Abstract

A compact, highly efficient and flexible ultra-wideband antenna operating from 3 to 20 GHz is proposed in this letter. The antenna is completely made from polymer comprising a patterned conductive polymer (PEDOT) thin film attached to a transparent sticky tape substrate. The overall dimension is less than a quarter-wavelength at the lowest frequency of operation and the device reaches a radiation efficiency of over 85% averaged throughout the frequency band. The antenna performs well under various bending conditions as demonstrated by measurements. The realized antenna offers great mechanical flexibility and robustness which indicates its promising potential for possible seamless integration in flexible electronics.