SBIR-STTR Award

Magnetic Flux Channel (MFC) antennas have been demonstrated to contain all the theoretical benefits of antennas carrying true magnetic currents. When mounted on conducting groundplanes, they do not suffer gain-bandwidth degradation like conventional metal-and-dielectric antennas. Their immunity to the image effect means that frequency independent and self-complementary MFC antennas conformal to a ground-plane should be able to attain the same bandwidth attained in free space by classic spiral and log periodic antennas. The proposed program will demonstrate the feasibility of realizing inherently broadband magnetic flux channel antennas by: 1) implementing MFC antennas in frequency-independent geometries, and 2) developing methods for making MFC antennas conformal to curved surfaces.

Benefit:
Success of the proposed program will allow development and production of truly conformal antennas on aircraft structures and other ground planes, which is expected to lead to opportunities for improved communications performance on all sizes of aircraft, from small UAVs to jets. It is also expected to provide a path forward to design of very wide bandwidth antennas for applications and installations which have been previously unavailable.

Keywords:
frequency-independent, frequency-independent, low-profile, magnetic, flux-channel, Curved, conformal, Antenna

Researchers at JEM Engineering and Arizona State University have developed a new type of antenna structure which we call a Magnetic Flux Channel (MFC). The MFC can be embedded with conducting platform surface components yielding efficient in-situ reception and transmission of electromagnetic signals. A 3:1 bandwidth geometry was demonstrated recently under the basic N152-081 Phase I program. The Phase I Option will increase the demonstrable bandwidth to 10:1. The Phase II program proposed here will deliver demonstration hardware that will operate in the 3 MHz to 600 MHz band.

Benefit:
The proposed MFC technology will benefit Naval Aviation programs by enabling low-profile or conformal antennas with broad bandwidth and radiation patterns that support both line-of-sight and satellite communications. Specific near-term programs that could benefit from this technology include: Next Generation Jammer (NGJ, PMA-234). The MFC will address a need for broadband low-frequency (Increment 2) multi-polarization, high power antennas for the low-frequency NGJ pods. P-8 (PMA-290) The MFC will address a need for a low-profile conformal multi-mode antenna to support UHF SATCOM and Line of Sight (LOS) communications across the 225-400 MHz UHF band on the P8. The Navy currently uses bat-wing 0x9D and blade antennas to perform these functions. F-18 E/F (PMA-265) The MFC will address a need for a low-profile, conformal, low-RCS UHF SATCOM antenna for future upgrades of this platform. No antenna currently in the fleet meets this requirement.

Keywords:
conformal, line-of-sight, Low Profile, Dual-mode, SATCOM, VHF/UHF, wideband, Antenna