Biomimetic Antenna Concepts for Millimeter Wave Sensors

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Christian Waldschmidt
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2016 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 315290836

The principle of the hearing system of the fly Ormia ochracea is subject to current research. Antennas designed according to this principle are, therefore, called ‘biomimetic antenna arrays’ (BMAAs). The working principle relies on the fact that the small phase progression between closely spaced antennas is stretched by a specifically designed coupling network inspired by the fly. The electrical size of the antenna array is hereby enhanced whereas the physical size remains constant. Through the larger aperture, a more accurate angle estimation is possible.In the first project (project I), an electrical model of the antenna system was developed and successfully verified by several demonstrators. The working principles of the biomimetic antenna array could be intuitively understood by using vectors in the complex plane. Within the scope of project I, an integrated, two-channel radar sensor with chip-integrated antennas at 160 GHz with very compact dimensions of less than 3 mm² has been designed, fabricated and measured. The biomimetic coupling hereby helps to reduce the antenna separation on the MMIC to a minimum without using the angle estimation ability. Furthermore, a novel compact MIMO-System on the MMIC could be successfully verified. The two physical antennas on the MMIC span hereby a virtual array consisting of four elements.Recent works concentrate on the development of biomimetic antenna arrays consisting of two elements only. Based on the models derived in project I, the focus in this follow-up project is placed on the scaling of the biomimetic antenna principle towards more than two antenna elements. Hereby, a lot of new applications arise which were not possible with the small 2-element-arrays in current setups. The scaled BMAA concept promises further enhancement in terms of angle estimation capability for future millimeter wave radar sensors, not only with regard to accuracy but also with regard to angular resolution. Within the scope of the project not only the direct scaling of the number of the coupled antennas is investigated but also the optimal placement in a MIMO setup.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants