Graphene-enhanced decagonal patch antenna for terahertz frequency operation in breast cancer detection

Abstract

This paper presents a decagonal patch antenna loaded with graphene designed for terahertz (THz) frequency applications, with a specific emphasis on its potential for early breast cancer detection. The proposed antenna features a hybrid structure, integrating both copper and graphene materials. A decagonal graphene strip is intricately incorporated into the copper patch, yielding significant improvements in reflection coefficient, bandwidth, and gain. The antenna, with dimensions of 155µm×130µm×13µm, is designed on a polyimide substrate, characterized by a dielectric constant of 3.5 and a loss tangent of 0.0027. To ensure relevance in medical contexts, the design is optimized to operate within the frequency range of 2.1 to 5.7 THz, a critical spectrum for medical applications. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed antenna, demonstrating S11<−10dB within the frequency band of 2.1 to 5.7 THz (92.3% fractional bandwidth). The antenna exhibits an impressive bandwidth of 3.6 THz and a gain of 7.87 dBi at 4 THz. These findings establish the graphene-loaded decagonal patch antenna as a highly promising solution for breast cancer detection applications, showcasing its potential in the realm of medical diagnostics.