3D printed spatially variant anisotropic metamaterials
Abstract
The recent advancement in 3D printing has created a new way to design electronics and electromagnetic devices. This allows for a new breed of non-planar designs to be used, fully exploiting all three dimensions like never before. More functions can be fit into the same amount of space, products with novel form factors can be more easily manufactured, interconnects can be routed more smoothly, interfaces can be better implemented, electrical and mechanical functions can be comingled, and entirely new device paradigms will be invented. When departing from traditional planar topologies many new problems arise like signal integrity, crosstalk, noise, and unintentional coupling between devices. The primary focus of this dissertation is to demonstrate that spatially variant anisotropic metamaterials (SVAM's) are a viable solution to alleviate those unwanted problems. Currently, there are no solutions to fix these problems in a fully 3D device, but there have been numerous efforts to alleviate those problems in traditional devices. Those solutions often use metals that introduce unwanted loss and require extra space to be added to the device. SVAM's do not introduce significant loss, since they are all-dielectric, and better accommodate systems that have size restraints. To be able to design and model SVAM's, six numerical tools were formulated and implemented. In addition, one commercial software package was used. First, a design methodology was developed for generating an all-dielectric metamaterial with a specific dielectric tensor. Next, a microstrip transmission line was isolated from a metal object placed in close proximity by embedding it in a SVAM so that the field avoided the object. Next, the electromagnetic impact of the typical surface roughness in metal parts produced by 3D print metals was evaluated. Finally, a SVAM was built into a cell phone case to minimize the interaction of two cell phone antennas in close proximity.
Subject Area
Engineering|Electromagnetics
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Cesar Roman, "3D printed spatially variant anisotropic metamaterials" (2014). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI3711566.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI3711566