Composite lens breakthrough promises discrete antennas

Flat panel metamaterial could be embedded into aircraft skin

A collaborative project between industry and academia has resulted in the development of a novel composite material which has been used to manufacture a flat antenna lens that thinks it is curved.

Researchers at BAE Systems and Queen Mary University have used a concept known as transformation optics in combination with an artificially engineered composite material known as a metamaterial to produce a flat panel lens that has the electromagnetic properties of a curved lens whilst retaining the same broadband performance. 

The flat antenna lens could be embedded into the skin of an aircraft without compromising aerodynamic performance, representing a major leap forward from current airborne antennas.

While traditional metamaterials only operate over narrow frequencies when used in antennas, the new composite material has a greatly extended bandwidth performance. 

According to Dr Sajad Haq from BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre in Bristol, when both transformational optics and the composite materials are applied to antenna design, they have the potential to greatly enhance performance and bandwidth without the need for large dished reflectors or curved lenses.

He said: “The technology developed could lead to us to think differently about aircraft design as well as lowering radar cross sections, provide weight savings or allow miniaturisation of integrated components. Traditional metamaterials suffer from limited bandwidth whereas the new composite metamaterial we have developed for this antenna does not.”

Professor Yang Hao from Queen Mary’s school of electronic engineering and computer science, added: “It’s possible in the future that this research could contribute to the production of even smaller or discrete antennas. This could be useful in all walks of life from telecommunications to healthcare”