Gigahertz Electromagnetic Structures via Direct Ink Writing for Radio‐Frequency Oscillator and Transmitter Applications
Abstract
Radio‐frequency (RF) electronics, which combine passive electromagnetic devices and active transistors to generate and process gigahertz (GHz) signals, provide a critical basis of ever‐pervasive wireless networks. While transistors are best realized by top‐down fabrication, relatively larger electromagnetic passives are within the reach of printing techniques. Here, direct writing of viscoelastic silver‐nanoparticle inks is used to produce a broad array of RF passives operating up to 45 GHz. These include lumped devices such as inductors and capacitors, and wave‐based devices such as transmission lines, their resonant networks, and antennas. Moreover, to demonstrate the utility of these printed RF passive structures in active RF electronic circuits, they are combined with discrete transistors to fabricate GHz self‐sustained oscillators and synchronized oscillator arrays that provide RF references, and wireless transmitters clocked by the oscillators. This work demonstrates the synergy of direct ink writing and RF electronics for wireless applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 15, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1002/adma.201605198
Entities
People
- Chengye Liu
- Donhee Ham
- Jennifer A. Lewis
- Nanjia Zhou
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Harvard University
- Office of Science