Patent ID: 8907849

Claim:
A method for constructing a radio frequency antenna, comprising: depositing on a surface of a dielectric substrate a plurality of layers including at least one layer each of a conductive material, a dielectric material, and a sacrificial material; controlling a deposit of said at least one layer of conductive material to form: a transmission line including a shield and a center conductor disposed coaxially within said shield, a first antenna radiating element external of said shield and of elongated form extending a first predetermined length and electrically connected to said center conductor, and a ground plane member electrically coupled to said shield and extending in a direction parallel to said elongated length within a near field of said first antenna radiating element; and dissolving said at least one layer of said sacrificial material to form: a channel disposed within said at least one shield, including a first clearance space between said center conductor and each of one or more walls of said shield, whereby said center conductor resides in said channel spaced apart from said walls, and a second clearance space between said surface of said dielectric substrate and said first antenna radiating element.