Miniaturized and Flexible FSS-Based EM Shields for Conformal Applications

This article reports on very efficient and highly miniaturized wideband polygon-shaped frequency selective surface (PFSS) shields for the planar and conformal applications in the X-band. These shields have been analyzed for both lossy as well as for low-loss substrates. The conformal configurations of PFSS are particularly investigated for inward, outward, and double-curved profiles useful for a variety of applications. The conformal designs have been tested for two different radii of curvatures. The models have been simulated using a hybrid simulation approach for electrically large geometries. The equivalent circuit model as well as the analytical model are determined. The proposed PFSS designs offer stable angular response up to 60° for planar and all conformal geometries on both lossy and low-loss prototypes. Shielding effectiveness of at least 55 dB and 48 dB has been measured for flat/nonconformal and conformal configurations, respectively.