Dual Layer Additively Manufactured Meta-Surfaces on Quartz Fiber Substrate

Radomes generally have a singular use; a structural component which protects RF elements while also appearing to be RF transparent to the radar system. One such radome material in X-band is quartz fiber laminate. In this work we present a quartz fiber laminate material which has been functionalize with a frequency selective surface (FSS) in order to provide a notch filtering effect within the radome itself. Notably, the structures used here would make for an ineffective radome, primarily designed to qualify the alignment of the layers. This work utilized a multilayer direct-write process (AJ-5X aerosol jet) for FSS deposition and a prepreg layup for radome fabrication. The effectiveness of the FSS design is directly related to quality of alignment between the two layers, and as such, we successfully developed a multi-layer, blind alignment process compatible with most additive manufacturing techniques. The cross-based metasurface provided a notch filtering effect mainly as an evaluation mechanism for intralayer alignment. The quality of the alignments was characterized through the use of simulations and experimental reflection/transmission data which was able to estimate the precision, and consistency, of the alignment between layers and across samples. Samples were characterized for conductivity, adhesion, and print thickness. The final result is a robust process for the fabrication, test, and integration of multi-functional designs into novel, non-traditional material systems and structures.