Low-cost Inkjet Printed Paper Poster FSS for 5G Applications

Low-cost inkjet printing of a Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) paper poster to reduce the drop of 5G signals within an indoor environment is introduced in this paper. An array of square loop elements is employed for this application. This low-cost FSS operates at a central frequency of 25.2 GHz while covering the 24 GHz band used in 5G systems. CST Microwave Studio™ was employed to simulate the FSS. The array structure was fabricated using a household Inkjet Printer on a photo paper using nanoparticle silver ink filled in refillable ink cartridges. Simulation transmission responses compared well with measurements. Inkjet printing could print tracks with fine details required for the mm-wave applications and offered reliable conductivity for the filtering performance. Printing of low-cost posters can help in improving the strength of 5G signals.