Acoustically actuated ultra-compact NEMS magnetoelectric antennas

TLDR

Conventional compact antennas rely on electromagnetic resonance, making their sizes comparable to the wavelength and typically larger than one‑tenth of it, so further miniaturization has remained a long‑standing challenge. The study reports acoustically actuated nanomechanical magnetoelectric antennas comprising a suspended ferromagnetic/piezoelectric thin‑film heterostructure. The antennas operate by exciting bulk acoustic waves that induce magnetization oscillations in the ferromagnetic film, enabling electromagnetic wave transmission via the magnetoelectric effect at acoustic resonance, while simultaneously sensing incident electromagnetic fields to generate a piezoelectric voltage. ME antennas achieve up to one‑thousandth‑wavelength dimensions, offering 1–2 orders of magnitude miniaturization relative to state‑of‑the‑art compact antennas without performance loss, and hold promise for portable wireless communication.

Abstract

Abstract State-of-the-art compact antennas rely on electromagnetic wave resonance, which leads to antenna sizes that are comparable to the electromagnetic wavelength. As a result, antennas typically have a size greater than one-tenth of the wavelength, and further miniaturization of antennas has been an open challenge for decades. Here we report on acoustically actuated nanomechanical magnetoelectric (ME) antennas with a suspended ferromagnetic/piezoelectric thin-film heterostructure. These ME antennas receive and transmit electromagnetic waves through the ME effect at their acoustic resonance frequencies. The bulk acoustic waves in ME antennas stimulate magnetization oscillations of the ferromagnetic thin film, which results in the radiation of electromagnetic waves. Vice versa, these antennas sense the magnetic fields of electromagnetic waves, giving a piezoelectric voltage output. The ME antennas (with sizes as small as one-thousandth of a wavelength) demonstrates 1–2 orders of magnitude miniaturization over state-of-the-art compact antennas without performance degradation. These ME antennas have potential implications for portable wireless communication systems.