Antennas are fabricated using fabric substrates, and, in some embodiments, known stitching techniques to fabricate the conductive members required, including connecting wiring and radiating and / or receiving elements. In one embodiment, one or more “patch antennas”, that is, planar radiating and / or receiving elements, are connected to transmitting and / or receiving
electronics by means of a connector and
feed line structure. The antenna structure comprises multiple
layers of fabric, some of which may contain
patch antenna and / or feedline patterns made of conductive fabric, made by embroidery using conductive thread or
yarn, or onto which patch antennas may be bonded. A
ground plane layer may be fabricated similarly. Between the fabric
layers containing the conductive patterns, there are one or more
layers of insulating fabrics that separate the conductive fabric layers by a
dielectric layer. Additional sheets of
adhesive between the fabric layers may be used to attach the fabric layers. Alternatively, stitching of insulating thread can be used to attach the multiple fabric layers together. Conductive thread may be used where a connection is desired, that is, the
microwave antenna may include a “via” (an interlayer
electrical connection) of conductive thread sewn through insulating fabric layers to connect one or more conductive components, typically of conductive fabric. The antenna may be flexible, so as to be used on clothing and the like, or may be impregnated with a curable resin, for forming a
rigid structure for incorporation into a larger structure.