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The development of a non-conventional (NC) LTCC glass-ceramic composite using a unique ‘quench free glass’, and subsequent realization of a patch antenna on this substrate, are reported. This novel composition is comprised of Sr 2 ZnTeO 6 (SZT) and 5 wt% of ZBPT (10 mol% ZnO – 2 mol% B 2 O 3 – 8 mol% P 2 O 5 – 80 mol% TeO 2 ) glass where the latter reaction mixture can be added directly to the ceramic, bypassing the high temperature melt quenching step. The average particle size distribution shows a more uniform and narrow distribution of powder prepared through non-conventional approach, compared to the conventional approach (C) where the quenched glass powder was added to the ceramic. The sintered tapes show ε r values of 11.64 and 12.12 for both SZT + ZBPT (C) and SZT + ZBPT (NC) respectively. The breakdown strength of both sintered tapes comes > 1100 V/2 mil. The SZT + ZBPT (NC) tape show lower leakage current and better resistivity (5.3 × 10 8 Ω·cm) compared to SZT + ZBPT (C) (2.9 × 10 8 Ω·cm). In order to check the feasibility of developed LTCC tape as microwave substrates, a prototype of ceramic patch antenna operating at 2.5 GHz was designed and printed on sintered LTCC tapes of SZT + ZBPT (NC) and its radiation characteristics were analyzed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their intolerance to fine machining, certain ceramics possess a unique combination of low dielectric constant and ultra-low dielectric loss, which is ideal for fabricating a patch antenna on them, with increased efficiency. In a candid attempt, we have qualified an ultra-low loss ceramic, magnesium silicate (abbreviated as Mg 2 SiO 4), for microwave antenna applications. Flexible ceramic tapes are prepared through organic solvent-based tape casting method, stalked, isostatically pressed, sintered, and polished. The new substrate possesses excellent microwave dielectric properties on par with commercial polymer composite wafers, while thermal conductivity is two orders better than them. The feasibility of using Mg 2 SiO 4 as microwave substrate was demonstrated by fabricating a microstrip patch antenna for WLAN applications. The radiation characteristics of the antenna show excellent agreement with the simulated ones. The patch antenna fabricated on Mg 2 SiO 4 substrate radiated at 2.44 GHz with a gain of 3.2 dB and a return loss of −20 dB. Unlabelled Image • Mg 2 SiO 4 show low ε r , and very low loss which is suitable for high efficiency microstrip patch antenna substrates. • The newly designed substrate has impressive thermal properties, better than commercial polymer and fiber-glass substrates. • The radiation characteristics of Mg 2 SiO 4 based WLAN patch antenna is comparable to the performance of commercial antennas. • The patch antennas developed on customized ceramic substrates is ideal for antennas operated at extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]