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Deployments of 5G and beyond will enable bandwidth in excess of 100 Mb/s with latency of less than 1 millisecond, in addition to providing connectivity to billions of devices. This capability is expected to impact markets such as smart transportation, industrial IoT, e-health, smart cities and entertainment services, and will transform the way people live, work and engage with their environment. The evolution of 5G is an enormous opportunity for connectivity, but its widespread deployment still faces many challenges.
Millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum can receive and transmit large amounts of data at high data rates. However, the highly linear radio waves are more attenuated in the transmission process and, thus, pass through objects less easily and have difficulty in reaching indoor areas or inside vehicles. Advanced antennas are used to bring radio waves together and transmit them in the form of pencil beams. While increased usage of these antennas can solve the 5G attenuation problem, design challenges and antenna placement considerations become more critical. Engineers are tasked with developing new antenna designs which are unobtrusive and not unsightly while maintaining line-of-sight.
While antennas made of visible materials can only be placed in specific locations which do not obstruct views or cause visual blight, transparent antennas come with no such constraints. Flexible transparent antennas further expand opportunities for placement and design, allowing product designers to easily shape antennas in accordance with the demands of the surrounding environment.
TRANSFORM MOBILITY WITH TRANSPARENCY
In a recent report, McKinsey & Company describes a future with “electric and autonomous vehicles, more interconnected and intelligent road networks, new customer interfaces and services, and a dramatically different competitive landscape in which tech giants, start-ups, and OEMs mix and mingle.” The consultancy added radical improvements in cost effectiveness, convenience, experience, safety and environmental impact will disrupt myriad business models on an almost inconceivable scale.
The humble antenna plays a critical role in providing reliable and resilient wireless communication both within the vehicle and to external services (V2X system). The design of V2X antennas is challenging due to the complex in-vehicle environment and the need for a hidden antenna solution.
IOT UNLEASHED WITH TRANSPARENCY
IoT involves extending internet connectivity beyond standard devices. Embedded with antennas and other components, these devices can communicate and interact over the internet. However, the problems around designing and manufacturing devices get bigger as devices get smaller. Transparent antennas present an essential solution to IoT device miniaturisation. For example, integrating transparent NFC antennas into the displays of point-of-purchase devices not only makes the devices smaller and smarter, but also addresses vandalism concerns.
GAPS BETWEEN MARKET NEEDS AND MATERIAL ADVANCEMENTS
Material advancements have been slow to address the challenge from antenna ubiquity and the proliferation of miniature systems. Circuit materials with the right blend of characteristics can provide the foundation for PCB antennas with the proper performance. The RF community is still searching for the right transparent circuit materials with the low distortions that can be easily converted into antennas which are scalable and meet cost-of-ownership targets.
NEW MATERIALS
Design and manufacturing are complex processes which are at the centre of successful antenna development. The antenna design team often employs simulation software for fast design iterations and simulations. Material characterisation data for such simulations shorten the design cycles. Rapid prototyping requires the necessary machinery, preferably a full assembly shop, to quickly fabricate scale models of antennas, using three-dimensional computer-aided design tools. Finally, partners must have a proven manufacturing process which can produce a high-quality and competitively-priced transparent antenna at scale.
TRANSPARENT ANTENNAS ARE HERE!
Transparent antennas are being adopted in a range of commercial applications and CHASM Advanced Materials is showcasing its breakthrough solutions for transparent antennas at MWC 2023 in Barcelona. During the past few years, the company has clearly shown that transparent antennas can perform just as well as non-transparent PCB antennas for a wide variety of applications. Work is underway with antenna companies to convert their non-transparent PCB antenna designs into transparent antennas. CHASM also makes it easy for customers to quickly move their designs to commercial production, leveraging the company’s own circuitry fabrication capabilities plus its network of circuitry fabrication partners.
Deployments of 5G and beyond will enable bandwidth in excess of 100 Mb/s with latency of less than 1 millisecond, in addition to providing connectivity to billions of devices. This capability is expected to impact markets such as smart transportation, industrial IoT, e-health, smart cities and entertainment services, and will transform the way people live, work and engage with their environment. The evolution of 5G is an enormous opportunity for connectivity, but its widespread deployment still faces many challenges.
“Flexible transparent antennas further expand opportunities for placement and design”
