Compact, Flexible and Transparent Antenna Using MMF for Conformal Wi-Fi 7 Applications

A compact, flexible, and transparent monopole antenna is presented for the next generation of Wi-Fi 7 technology, specifically its potential properties, such as faster transmission speeds by threefold, much higher capacity, and even lower latency. The antenna design is formulated based on a transparent metal mesh film (MMF), which has optical transparency (average of 73%) and low sheet resistance (average of 0.2 Ω/sq). To enhance the features of MMF simultaneously, the antenna is fabricated using a hybrid process that includes ultra-precise components of photolithography and electronic forming technology. The measurement results for the frequency ranges of 2.4–2.5 and 5–7.125 GHz (Wi-Fi 7 bands) show that the peak gains exceed 1.98 dBi and 3.7 dBi and that the radiation efficiency rates are 93% and 94%, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed antenna is flexible and can be bent and integrated into aesthetic devices for smart home applications. Therefore, the antenna was conformed onto foam and a lamp as examples for testing. All of the results here demonstrate that the proposed design maintains an omnidirectional radiation pattern and offers a compact, flexible solution. This makes it a good candidate for straightforward integration with transparent Internet of Things applications.