Printed Wideband Metamaterial Antennas for Ballistic Panels Navy STTR FY2010.A Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2010.A Topic No.: N10A-T021 Topic Title: Printed Wideband Metamaterial Antennas for Ballistic Panels Proposal No.: N10A-021-0289 Firm: Applied Nanotech, Inc. 3006 Longhorn Blvd. Suite 107 Austin, Texas 78758-7631 Contact: Richard Fink Phone: (512) 339-5020 Web Site: www.appliednanotech.net Abstract: The U.S. Navy has initiated a program to develop the next-generation Joint Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) 3.3 system to detect and jam enemy improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The objective of this proposed effort is to develop the manufacturing processes and antenna designs needed to integrate a wideband metamaterial antenna within the ballistic panel composite materials of Navy platforms, such as ship superstructure or Marine Corps vehicles, through analysis, modeling, testing, and prototyping. Our approach will be to build a metamaterial antenna directly into the ballistic panel composite material, resulting in an efficient, low-profile antenna structure that will not compromise the ballistic resistance of the panel. The proposed team combines antenna design and characterization expertise at the University of Tennessee and Villanova University with the composite material and printed electronics expertise at Applied Nanotech, Inc, and Armortex (ballistic panel manufacturer). Benefits: Successful completion of the two-phase STTR effort will result in a novel processing technology for wideband, low-profile antenna structure built into ballistic panel composites that are already mounted on mobile platforms. In addition to military and homeland security applications for embedded, low-profile, or concealed antennas, this technology can impact a wide range of commercial vehicle applications and building structures. Similar to the proposed application, antennas can be embedded in many polymer or composite materials, meaning antennas can be embedded in many applications already using composite materials, such as automotive and aerospace frames and body panels, sporting goods (golf clubs, baseball bats, tennis rackets), appliances and building panels. Many of these commercial applications may require a wideband operation, such as border control and check-point applications. Return