3d antenna

Due to the ever-increasing miniaturization of mobile devices such as smartphones or navigation devices, they must be equipped with extremely narrow antennas that adapt to the shape of the housing. The corresponding antennas are 3D antennas that are shaped to fit into the curvatures and bends of the housing; often by means of MID technology, Molded Interconnect Device (MID), and subsequent structured metallization, Laser Direct Structuring( LDS).

Laser direct structuring can be used to produce high- performance 3D antennas. In this process, the antenna design is transferred directly into the package shape by means of a laser beam.

3D antennas in Laser Direct Structuring (LDS), photo: stadt-bremerhaven.de.

The three-dimensional antenna shape can be optimized in terms of RF characteristics and space utilization and offers more degrees of freedom in terms of radiation characteristics than other antenna shapes. It is mainly used in RF and microwave applications because of its size. 3D antennas are also used in RFID at 13.56 MHz, but they are manufactured in printed electronics and are less expensive than wound antennas.