A Pill-sized Low Frequency Implantable Magnetoelectric Antenna for Near-Field Data Transfer and Therapeutic Applications

This work presents the development and investigation of a pill-sized implantable low-frequency magnetoelectric antenna to enable near-field data transfer and regulated deep body heating for therapeutic applications. For this purpose, a magnetoelectric device consisting of Metglas (23 mu m) as a magnetostrictive layer and Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) (28 mu m) as the piezoelectric layer is micromachined into 3.5x5 mm(2) dimension, which facilitates its operation at a resonance frequency of 49.9 kHz. The radiation pattern of the ME antenna in azimuth and elevation planes are recorded which resembles close similarity with loop antenna. The proposed ME antenna is intended for near field communication up to D=200 cm, with a received power of -47.4 dBm and SNR of 36.5 dB in air. In addition to demonstrating considerable promise in data transmission applications, the lead-free ME antenna also holds promise in the realm of precise deep body tissue heating through the regulation of its on-off cycle. Over time, the temperature change due to the incoming AC magnetic field on the proposed antenna at D = 15, 40, and 80 cm is monitored.