A Lamb wave magnetoelectric antenna design for implantable devices
Ruoda Zheng, Víctor Hugo Nieto Estrada, Nishanth Virushabadoss, Alexandria Will‐Cole, Adrian Acosta, J. W. Hu, Wenzhong Yan, Jane P. Chang, Nian X. Sun, Rashaunda Henderson, Greg P. Carman, Abdon E. Sepulveda
Abstract
A 400 MHz magnetoelectric (ME) Lamb wave antenna design to function in the medical implant communication service band is proposed. The antenna employs a heterostructure of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive membranes to acoustically excite standing shear bulk wave and radiate as a magnetic dipole. Multiphysics finite element analysis simulations are performed for transmission and reception modes. In these simulations, three aspects are investigated: piezoelectricity, micromagnetic precession, and magnetic dipole radiation. An experimental demonstration of the antenna is also conducted and shows mechanical resonance with a Q-factor of 500 and ME coupling. These results indicate that the design can be operated in zero-order antisymmetric (A0) mode as a tunable oscillator or sensor. This ME approach provides a solution to the miniaturization problem of traditional current-based implantable antennas.