Early Detection of Breast Tumour Using QuasiStatic Microwave Imaging with Two Elements Tapered Slot Vivaldi MIMO Antenna

A quad-static microwave imaging system designed for medical use, with an emphasis on early-stage breast tumour detection, is presented in this paper. A compact two-element MIMO Vivaldi antenna, designed for practical microwave imaging, is used in the proposed system. The antenna is appropriate for radar-based diagnostic systems due to its end-fire radiation characteristic. With a maximum gain of 16.98 dBi at 2.75 GHz, it operates across a broad frequency range from 2 GHz to 14.8 GHz. Additionally, it satisfies the FCC (USA) limit for localized SAR, which is 1.6 W/kg averaged over 1 gram of tissue. With overall dimensions of 49 × 85 × 0.8 mm³, the antenna is designed and simulated on an affordable FR4 substrate that offers both structural compactness and a wide bandwidth. For validation, HFSS was used to create and simulate a breast phantom model that replicated the dielectric characteristics of human tissue. When the transmission coefficient (S21 and S41 parameters) is used to analyse the system, it is shown that tumours as small as 4 mm in diameter can be detected. The findings support the suggested antenna and imaging system’s ability to accurately detect small breast tumours, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes.