Body Coupled Wideband Monopole Antenna

In this paper a planar body coupled wideband monopole antenna for medical imaging and sensing applications is presented. With a dielectric spacer between the monopole and body, a high degree of body coupling and low matching sensitivity is achieved. The antenna is a staircase monopole with a -10dB reflection bandwidth of 2.5 - 7 GHz measured on the forehead, breast bone and calf muscle. Antenna size is only 20 x 20 mm. Measurements of the antenna coupled to the body surface indicate significant improvements using a low-loss dielectric spacer with permittivity matching the body. The wide bandwidth, high body coupling and low sensitivity to varying body dielectric properties makes this antenna a suitable candidate for microwave medical imaging and body sensing applications.