NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2006 -- A new research project will explore novel materials with dielectric properties in the microwave range for use in mobile phones and other wireless systems. The project, called RANTED (Re-orientable Aligned Carbon NanotubE Dielectric Devices), is being conducted at the Center for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE) at the University of Cambridge, England, and has received funding from Advance Nanotech Inc., a London/New York-based provider of financing and services for nanotechnology development, in partnership with Alps Electric Co. Ltd. of Japan, Dow Corning, and CAPE.
CAPE -- funded by Advance Nanotech, Alps and Dow Corning -- supports research, development and commercialization in close collaboration with industry. It is part of the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge and forms an integrated Research Facility for Electrical Engineering with a staff of 20 academics, 70 post-doctoral researchers and 170 research students. The program enables designers and engineers in academia and industry to benefit from developments in advanced photonics and electronics. In the past five years, numerous patents have been filed and 10 spinout companies have been formed from projects that began in the Electrical Division of the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge.
Advanced Nanotech said the goal of RANTED is to develop of these novel materials to enable new wireless antenna technologies that reduce the footprint required for multiple antenna systems while reducing background noise and increasing the capacity of mobile wireless systems. The project will deliver proof-of-concept demonstrations after two years, and development of components for market applications will begin after three years.
"By 2009, mobile devices will be required to support a myriad of wireless frequencies and protocols, including 2, 2.5 and 3G telephony, Bluetooth (802.15), WiFi (802.11), ZigBee (802.15.4) and DVB-H (mobile TV), in order to be competitive," said Dr. Peter L. Gammel, senior vice president, electronics, at Advance Nanotech. "This poses a significant challenge to designers and developers of radio frequency antennas and subsystems. The RANTED technology will demonstrate antennas which support all these applications in a compact footprint with improved performance."
In addition to mobile phones and wireless devices, the novel materials developed by the RANTED project are expected to benefit a wide variety of applications, including medical imaging; antennas, filters, receivers and transmitters for microwave and terahertz systems; and radar, satellite and mobile phone technology.
For more information, visit: www-cape.eng.cam.ac.uk