Garlock, an Enpro company, that manufactures sealing solutions and related engineered products has developed WavePro – a low-loss dielectric material used for multiple antenna structures, where its electrical and mechanical properties influence antenna size, bandwidth, and structural design. Antenna dimensions are directly related to wavelength, which shortens in materials with a higher dielectric constant (Dk), allowing antennas to be physically smaller.
In a basic microstrip patch antenna, using a dielectric with a Dk of 10.8 results in a 68% reduction in patch area compared with a Dk of 3.0. The material is available with dielectric constant values up to 15, with higher Dk values available for sampling when required.
Different antenna architectures require different material formats. For dielectric resonator antennas, the material is produced in blocks, cylinders, and customized three-dimensional geometries. For patch and stacked patch antennas, it is supplied in standard and custom panel sizes intended to support high-volume manufacturing that requires consistent thickness and material uniformity.
Bandwidth performance in patch antennas is influenced by substrate thickness. Increasing thickness produces a largely linear increase in bandwidth. Panels can be manufactured in custom thicknesses up to 375 mils (0.375 inches), allowing bandwidth to be adjusted through material dimensions.
Figure: Variation of Dielectric Constant Dk with Temperature
WavePro materials also support multi-layer lens antenna designs that incorporate different dielectric constant values within a single structure. In radome applications, the material can be molded to conformal surfaces so protective coverings follow antenna contours. When used as a superstrate, its mechanical strength eliminates the requirement for backing material.
In addition to antenna structures, the material is used as a reference dielectric for calibration and testing, where tight manufacturing tolerances ensure consistent simulation of known dielectric properties. In medical imaging-related applications, the material can be incorporated into phantoms or manufactured into anatomical forms such as hearts or brains to replicate specific dielectric conditions.
WavePro low-loss material is a ceramic-filled PTFE dielectric engineered for antennas, lenses, and discrete RF and mmWave components such as phase shifters and couplers. Its formulation provides a low loss factor, mechanical and thermal stability, minimal phase shift with frequency and temperature, and consistent characteristics within and across panels. The material is specified for applications up to 110 GHz.
The material family includes dielectric constant values ranging from approximately 2.5 to 20.4, with corresponding loss tangent values dependent on formulation. The dielectric constant can be tuned through a proprietary PTFE formulation and controlled manufacturing processes, allowing single-Dk materials, multi-layer panels with different Dk values, and three-dimensional parts with engineered dielectric profiles.
The same manufacturing capabilities support made-to-order geometries. Available formats include flat panels, laminates, curved and conformal surfaces, single-Dk three-dimensional shapes, and multilayered 3D structures. Cylinders, rectangular tubes, disks, large blocks, and build-to-print components can be produced.
This dielectric material is available as a pure dielectric substrate or as a copper-clad laminate for PCB designs. As a pure dielectric, it is compatible with metallization processes, including metallic ink, printing, screen printing, cladding, plating, and vapour deposition. Its structural strength also supports the attachment of elements such as stampings.
At the material level, WavePro is a ceramic-filled PTFE composite in which pure PTFE acts as the host substrate and ceramic micro-particles are added. By selecting the ceramic materials and controlling manufacturing processes, properties such as dielectric constant, loss tangent, and thermal coefficient of expansion can be engineered to achieve specific outcomes.
At mmWave frequencies, component dimensions and tolerances become tighter. Precision manufacturing techniques are used to produce components with consistent dimensions suitable for mmWave applications.
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