Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of Slot-Fed Flexible Vinyl-Printed Yagi-Uda Antenna for CubeSat Applications

With the rise of wireless devices operating in extreme environments, the desire for mechanically robust antennas is increasing. Vinyl-print antenna technology offers resonance profiles that are robust to bending and flexing. A highly directive, slot fed, vinyl based printed small-scale Yagi Uda antenna is designed, fabricated and characterized for applications that suit extreme degrees of bending, which prior to bending achieved an S11 of -19 dB, 18.75% bandwidth, and a >9 dBi directivity. The effects on bending are compared between simulation and fabrication in the results.