Research on a miniaturized VLF antenna array based on a magnetoelectric heterojunction

This paper focuses on miniature magnetoelectric (ME) antennas based on ferromagnetic/piezoelectric heterostructures, which produce electromagnetic (EM) radiation through the physical oscillation of electric dipoles and magnetic moments. ME antennas with a size of only one-ten-thousandth that of traditional antennas are being designed and fabricated and they provide low energy consumption and high radiation efficiency. However, the output response of such devices can be improved, the operation frequency range can be broadened under high-output conditions through series and parallel connections among units, and the multifrequency point transmission and reception of signals can be achieved in the very low-frequency (VLF) band. The test results show that the detection limit of the ME antenna unit is 0.1/ √(HZ) nT at 26 kHz and the radiant magnetic field at 1.2 m is 1.06 nT (input power of 10 mW). Through three units in series, the ME output response is increased to 1.97 times that of a single unit and the intensity of the ME radiation signal is approximately 2.6 times that of a unit. Through the parallelization of three units, the − 3 dB operation frequency range of the ME receiving antenna is widened by a factor of 1.86 and that of the ME transmitting antenna is widened by a factor of 2.18. This study provides a feasible scheme and technical path for the design and fabrication of future ME antenna arrays.