A Lamb wave magnetoelectric antenna design for implantable devices

A 400 MHz magnetoelectric (ME) Lamb wave antenna design to function in the medical implant communication service band is proposed. The antenna employs a heterostructure of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive membranes to acoustically excite standing shear bulk wave and radiate as a magnetic dipole. Multiphysics finite element analysis simulations are performed for transmission and reception modes. In these simulations, three aspects are investigated: piezoelectricity, micromagnetic precession, and magnetic dipole radiation. An experimental demonstration of the antenna is also conducted and shows mechanical resonance with a Q-factor of 500 and ME coupling. These results indicate that the design can be operated in zero-order antisymmetric (A(0)) mode as a tunable oscillator or sensor. This ME approach provides a solution to the miniaturization problem of traditional current-based implantable antennas.