Project Details
Projekt
Conception, design and verification of 3D functional RF components
Applicant
Professor Dr.-Ing. Martin Vossiek
Subject Area
Communication Technology and Networks, High-Frequency Technology and Photonic Systems, Signal Processing and Machine Learning for Information Technology
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 528402728
The aim of this subproject is to harness novel 3D printing processes, in particular aerosol jet printing, and novel materials for the design and realization of innovative, high-performance microwave components and systems. The research work focuses on high-resolution structures and geometries with locally definable concentrations of conductive particles and locally variable dielectric material properties. By using these new possibilities, the realization options and the performance of RF front-end modules are to be significantly expanded and improved com-pared to the previous state of the art, which is characterized by planar printed circuit board technology. In addition to the significantly improved resolution and the versatile 3D design and printing options, the research project is characterized above all by the introduction of new classes of materials. These include, dielectrics with location-dependent, voxel-precisely definable adjustment of the relative permittivity, as well as ink-materials containing nanoparticles or filled with silver nanowires with localized definition of the conductivity by selecting the conductivity particle concentration. By specifically influencing the local concentration of dielectric and conductive material particles, it is possible to freely define the local voxel distribution of the electrical material properties in three-dimensional space. These new design options allow entirely new design possibilities, for example to adapt structure sizes to contact MMICs, to improve the radiation behavior of antennas, or to realize low-reflection component transitions through mate-rial gradients, which were previously only possible through complex adaptation of the geometry. To make full use of the technologies provided by the other subprojects and to transfer the advantages of the new manufacturing processes to RF systems, this project will research the new design and design options, develop new component concepts and produce a millimeter-wave prototype as a 3D-RF-MID demonstrator, which will be used to show the holistic integration of the modelling, manufacturing and optimization services provided by the other subprojects. The novel 3D-RF-MID components will be verified through their measured characteristics and the entire researched RF system in the 77 GHz - 81 GHz frequency band. This will demonstrate the enhanced RF performance compared to the state of the art, achieved through the use of novel materials, printing, and design techniques.
DFG Programme
Research Units
