Devices and methods of fabrication of sinusoidal patterned silicon dioxide substrates

A method for fabricating a microstrip patch antenna, the method comprising:

• (a) fabricating a silicon substrate with a periodic sinusoidal patterned oxide surface;
• (b) conforming at least one layer of a conductor to the surface pattern of the patterned oxide surface of the silicon substrate;
• (c) positioning the silicon substrate adjacent to a ground plane;
• and
• (d) coupling the conductive layer to a port.

A method for fabricating a substrate with a patterned oxide surface, the method comprising:

• (a) thermally oxidizing a surface of a silicon base to form an oxidized silicon base;
• (b) patterning the oxidized base with photolithography;
• (c) forming the pattern in the silicon base;
• (d) clearing the surface oxidization from the patterned silicon base;
• (e) growing a first oxide mask on the cleaned patterned silicon base;
• (f) removing the first oxide mask from the patterned silicon base;
• and
• (g) growing a second oxide mask on the patterned silicon base to produce a final silicon substrate with a patterned oxide surface.

A microstrip patch antenna apparatus, comprising:

• (a) at least one patch of one or more layers of a conductor conformed to a sinusoidal patterned oxide surface of a silicon substrate;
• (b) a ground plane adjacent to the silicon substrate;
• and
• (c) a port coupled to the conductor.