Design of an Implantable Slot Dipole Conformal Flexible Antenna for Biomedical Applications

We present a flexible folded slot dipole implantable antenna operating in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band (2.4-2.4835 GHz) for biomedical applications. To make the designed antenna suitable for implantation, it is embedded in biocompatible Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The antenna was tested by immersing it in a phantom liquid, imitating the electrical properties of the human muscle tissue. A study of the sensitivity of the antenna performance as a function of the dielectric parameters of the environment in which it is immersed was performed. Simulations and measurements in planar and bent state demonstrate that the antenna covers the complete ISM band. In addition, Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) measurements indicate that the antenna meets the required safety regulations.

[1]  D. Miklavčič,et al.  ELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF TISSUES , 2006 .

[2]  R. W. Lau,et al.  The dielectric properties of biological tissues: III. Parametric models for the dielectric spectrum of tissues. , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[3]  Cyril Luxey,et al.  Small Electrical Antenna for SAW Sensor Biotelemetry , 2009 .

[4]  Philip R. Troyk,et al.  Implantable myoelectric sensors (IMES) for upper-extremity prosthesis control- preliminary work , 2003, Proceedings of the 25th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37439).

[5]  M. Takahashi,et al.  Performances of an Implanted Cavity Slot Antenna Embedded in the Human Arm , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[6]  B. M. Steinhaus,et al.  The role of telecommunications in future implantable device systems , 1994, Proceedings of 16th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[7]  Chien-Ming Lee,et al.  Bandwidth enhancement of planar inverted‐F antenna for implantable biotelemetry , 2009 .

[8]  Robert Puers,et al.  Design and implementation of advanced systems in a flexible-stretchable technology for biomedical applications , 2009 .

[9]  A.K. Skrivervik,et al.  Implanted antenna for biomedical applications , 2008, 2008 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium.

[10]  Yang Hao,et al.  Numerical Characterization and Link Budget Evaluation of Wireless Implants Considering Different Digital Human Phantoms , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[11]  L. Vallozzi,et al.  Aperture-Coupled Patch Antenna for Integration Into Wearable Textile Systems , 2007, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[12]  J. Patrick Reilly,et al.  Applied Bioelectricity: From Electrical Stimulation to Electropathology , 1998 .

[13]  N. Berner,et al.  Modelling the anisotropic electrical properties of skeletal muscle. , 1999, Physics in medicine and biology.

[14]  J. Reilly,et al.  Applied Bioelectricity , 1998, Springer New York.

[15]  C Gabriel,et al.  The dielectric properties of biological tissues: I. Literature survey. , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[16]  H. Tsai,et al.  Planar amplifier array with improved bandwidth using folded-slots , 1994, IEEE Microwave and Guided Wave Letters.

[17]  E. Topsakal,et al.  Design of a Dual-Band Implantable Antenna and Development of Skin Mimicking Gels for Continuous Glucose Monitoring , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[18]  Tutku Karacolak,et al.  Electrical properties of nude rat skin and design of implantable antennas for wireless data telemetry , 2008, 2008 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest.

[19]  R. Kohno,et al.  An antenna for medical implant communications system , 2007, 2007 European Microwave Conference.

[20]  Y. Rahmat-Samii,et al.  Implanted antennas inside a human body: simulations, designs, and characterizations , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[21]  R. W. Lau,et al.  The dielectric properties of biological tissues: II. Measurements in the frequency range 10 Hz to 20 GHz. , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[22]  J. Vanfleteren,et al.  Fabrication Processes for Embedding Thin Chips in Flat Flexible Substrates , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Advanced Packaging.

[23]  A. Ahlbom.  Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields (up to 300 GHz) , 1998 .

[24]  H. Usui,et al.  Radiation characteristics of an implanted cavity slot antenna into the human body , 2006, 2006 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium.

[25]  W.J. Chappell,et al.  Evaluation of Cardiovascular Stents as Antennas for Implantable Wireless Applications , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.