Systems and methods for using electroforming to manufacture fractal antennas
OwnerJamie Mooreinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One or more fractal antennas are produced in an electroforming circuit. A stainless steel on glass mandrel is covered with a dielectric in an inverse image of a fractal antenna to be formed. The portion of the stainless steel uncovered by the dielectric is chemically washed so that a fractal antenna formed thereon can be more efficiently removed. The mandrel is made a cathode in an electroforming circuit, which results in a fractal antenna being formed on the mandrel. The fractal antenna is separated from the mandrel and mounted on a rigid or semi-rigid substrate.
Claims18
A method for producing a fractal antenna, comprising:
- generating a photo-mask master of a fractal antenna;
- using the photo-mask master to generate a mandrel;
- electroforming a fractal antenna on the mandrel;
- and
- separating the fractal antenna from the mandrel.
An electroforming system, comprising:
- an electrolyte solution containing salts of a metal used to form a fractal antenna;
- an anode immersed in the electrolyte solution, the anode being made of the metal used to form the fractal antenna;
- a cathode on which metal from the anode is deposited to form a fractal antenna when electricity is applied to the system;
- and
- an electrical source to provide electricity to the system.
A method of producing a mandrel for electroforming a fractal antenna, the method comprising:
- providing an electrically-conductive layer on a substrate;
- providing a patterned layer of an electrically-insulating material on the substrate, the patterned layer being formed so that portions of the electrically-conductive layer are exposed to form the shape of a fractal antenna;
- and
- surface treating the exposed portions of the electrically-conductive layer to reduce adhesion of a subsequently applied metal.
A reusable mandrel for producing multiple fractal antennas, comprising:
- a substrate;
- an electrically-conductive layer on the substrate;
- an electrical insulator on the electrically-conductive layer, the electrical insulator patterned in such a way as to cover all of the electrically-conductive layer except for a portion having the shape of the fractal antennas to be produced;
- and
- wherein a fractal antenna is formed in the shape of the pattern in the electrical insulator when the mandrel is used as a cathode in an electroforming circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.