An alternative material for transparent antennas for commercial and medical applications

Abstract

For the last decade, optically transparent antennas have been a topic of research for applications ranging from satellite communication to window embedded telecommunications. The most common material used for transparent antennas has so far been Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). However, the long term availability of indium due to worldwide shortages and increasing prices is of great concern, necessitating the exploration of replacement materials. Among the most promising candidates is zinc oxide heavily doped with gallium (GZO), which can be produced in the form of thin films with conductivity comparable to that of ITO. In order to study the efficacy of GZO transparent antennas, a printed planar‐dipole antenna was designed and fabricated. The antenna operated in the 2.4 GHZ Industry science and measurement (ISM) band with a return loss of approximately 13 dB. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:773–777, 2017

Transparent Antenna for Green Communication Feature: A Systematic Review on Taxonomy Analysis, Open Challenges, Motivations, Future Directions and Recommendations

“…Transparent polymer materials are a highly flexible fabric and transparent, with the potential of integration [77]. As mentioned before, the possibility of optical transparent antennas made of GZO is astounding [40]. In the design of an optically transparent reflectarray using TCO [32], ITO film is the most broadly used material.…”

“…conductive polymers and Conductive inks, such as silver-coated polyester (AgHT-4, AgHT-8) [ [38] , Known for its high optical transmission, relatively low resistivity, non-toxicity, low material cost and good stability, the Al doped ZnO (AZO) film is one of the most promising transparent and conductive oxide (TCO) thin films [7] [39]. and Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) [40] , Titanium Indium Oxide (TIO) [35,41] [42], and aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO)/silver nanowire (AgNWs), or silver nanowire (AgNWs) [43] [44], and graphene [45] are popular transparent conductive thin films . The thin films that can be applied in displays, LEDs, EMI-screens, and photovoltaic equipment are most popular is indium-tin-oxide (ITO).…”

“…And as Compact and Transparent Antennas using a plexiglass substrate with AgHT-8 for 5G communication systems [18] , or soda lime glass substrate with fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) for wireless local area network (WLAN) [36] . and as Optically Transparent Antennas using glass as a substrate with indium tin oxide (ITO) for solar energy harvesting [29] , or for car network communication application [33] , or using glass as substrate with AZO/AgNWs for Bluetooth communication [44] , or using glass as substrate with AgHT-8 for WLAN [19] and wireless applications [20] , or using glass as substrate with AgHT-4 for Wi-Fi [26] , or using a plexiglass substrate with AgHT-8 for wireless multiple-input and multiple output (MIMO) system [21] and smart devices [24] , or using a polyimide as substrate with TIO Terahertz communication [41] and satellites , radar systems [42] , and using a MWCNT loaded ITO and TIO for Terahertz communication [35] , and using a borosilicate glass substrate with FTO [37] or Pyrex glass substrate with FTO [38] for outdoor applications such as transparent antenna over solar cells , and using a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) substrate with AgHT-8 thin film for (RFID) tags [22] and UWB home entertainment network [17] , commercial and medical applications [40] , and using a sapphire substrate with gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) thin film for smart city concept [7] , and using a quartz substrate with graphene layers for practical applications [45] , or using Perspex acrylic dielectric substrate with (AgHT-8) thin film for wireless applications [23] , or using a glass substrates with ITO films for millimeter wave bands [30] , or using a plexiglass substrate with AgHT-8 short range multiband versatile wireless applications [28]. And can be as Transparent and Flexible Antennas using glass or polymer as substrate with AZO for window-integrated wireless sensor node [39] , or using a polyimide as substrate with IZTO/Ag/IZTO (IAI) for wearable glasses [46] and using polyamide substrate for computer laptop [3] , or using a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) substrate with transparent silver nanowire (AgNWs) for automobile window, liquid crystal display, organi...…”

“…This demands other deposition techniques to fabricate the employment of another transparent substrate material. The future of transparent transmitters include the potential of GZO antennas as materials [40].…”

Radiation properties of graphene‐based optically transparent dipole antenna

“…For example, optically transparent antennas can be installed into windows of buildings, eyeglass, human bodies, and smart phones. Optically transparent antennas are fabricated using transparent conductive materials, such as ITO (indium tin oxide), GZO (zinc oxide heavily doped with gallium), and IZTO (indium zinc tin oxide) . In this study, we focused on graphene, a one‐atom‐thick two‐dimensional carbon sheet, as an electrode material for optically transparent antennas.…”