Control of magnetic loss tangent of hexaferrite for advanced radio frequency antenna applications

We demonstrate that magnetic loss tangent of M-type hexaferrite can be controlled by a small dc magnetic field, thereby improving radio frequency (RF) antenna radiation efficiency and realizing antenna miniaturization. Magnetic loss tangent (tan δμ) of the M-type BaFe9.6Co1.2Ti1.2O19 hexaferrite at 200 MHz decreased significantly from 11.8% to less than 1% as the applied dc magnetic field increased from 0 to 400 Oe. This is because the contribution of domain wall motion to permeability dispersion is decreased, and the ferromagnetic resonance frequency increases with the magnetic field. Antenna simulation results showed that radiation efficiency of the designed ferrite helical antenna increased from −22.9 to −9.2 dB with dc magnetic field of 400 Oe. Therefore, the small dc magnetic field played a key role in reduction of tan δμ of hexaferrite and improvement of antenna performance in the RF range.