Graphene-based programmable dual dipole antenna with parasitic elements

Abstract This paper presents a novel transparent disc-shaped programmable antenna employing a polyimide substrate that exploits graphene parasitic elements to achieve programmable beamforming in sub-THz frequencies. The antenna consists of two orthogonal dipoles assisted by eight fan-blade-shaped graphene parasitic elements. By changing their state through chemical potential, the antenna current distribution is modified, enabling the formation of different radiation patterns such as single, dual, and quad beams. The inherent symmetry of the structure and that of the imposed programming codes is explained through the discussion of different radiation patterns generated in the azimuthal plane. The proposed antenna allows for discrete step beam reconfiguration over 360° in the azimuth plane. The maximum realized gain reaches 2 dBi for single beam, 1.3 dBi for dual beam and 0.7 dBi for quad beam configurations, accompanied by a minimum S 11 value of − 36.4 dB at 200 GHz and by a − 10 dB bandwidth ranges from 187 GHz to 214 GHz.