Significant Factors in the Inkjet Manufacture of Frequency-Selective Surfaces

Additive fabrication of electromagnetic structures by inkjet printing technology is both cost effective and compatible with a wide range of environmentally friendly substrates, enabling the fabrication of frequency-selective surface (FSS) arrays with line dimensions less than 0.1 mm, which is difficult to achieve with conventional subtractive techniques. Several approaches, such as savings in ink by depositing it at the edges of dipole elements where the surface current tends to maximize, have been investigated in order to produce low-cost frequency-selective panels with acceptable level of isolation. The FSS transmission characteristics were improved by jetting multiple ink layers on the whole elements and at the edges. The electrical resistance of various arrays have been measured and analyzed and has been used to assess the performances of the FSS.