SMT Components Build 3D Antennas

Dec. 20, 2013

Adding surface-mount components to antennas can save space on associated system boards.

Pulse Electronics Corp. has developed in-house capability to integrate passive surface-mount-technology (SMT) components on three-dimensional (3D) laser-direct-structuring (LDS) antennas. By using available space on the antenna for the SMT components, they need not be mounted on an electronic product’s printed-circuit board (PCB), saving real estate on that structure. Prior to assembling a portable electronic product, for example, the antenna can be matched and tested along with the SMT components as one assembly, with tuning and optimization performed quickly and cost-effectively. These RoHS-compliant antennas are produced with LDS technology, which uses a laser beam to transfer an antenna design directly to a molded 3D surface.

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.