Laser induced carbon nano-structures for planar antenna fabrication at microwave frequencies

Printed antennas have environmental advantages over traditional copper/FR4 structures but the cost of silver remains an issue for mass production. Laser deposition of carbon nanostructures (grapheme) offer an even lower cost alternative. Three parallel lines (length 3 mm, width 0.01 mm) were fabricated on glass and the transmission coefficient was measured as a function of electric field orientation over the frequency range 8 - 10.6 GHz. The attenuation coefficient caused by parallel scattering was found to be linearly related (r = 0.7) to the relative length l/λ₀. The technology has potential applications in mass production of electronics and wireless sensor systems using the circuits in plastic technology as a low cost replacement for printed silver.