A Flexible X-Band Antenna Array Based on 3D-Printed LET Structures

This paper investigates the scalability of Lamina Emergent Torsion (LET)–based substrates for realizing flexible electromagnetic devices operating in the X-band. Extending a previously demonstrated LET-based microstrip patch antenna working at 2.45GHz, a flexible four-element antenna array operating at 10.25GHz is designed, fabricated, and experimentally validated using the same rigid 3D-printed dielectric material and flexible conductive layers. A full-wave design methodology based on a single effective dielectric constant is adopted to simplify the design process while ensuring consistency between simulation and fabrication. Experimental results show good agreement with simulations, with a measured boresight gain of approximately 10.2 dBi, a simulated efficiency of about 80%, and stable impedance matching at the frequency of interest in both flat and bent configurations. These results confirm that the structurally engineered flexibility enabled by LET geometries can be effectively extended to array-level architectures at microwave frequencies around 10GHz.