  Due to the applications in meteorological broadcasts, radio navigation and
underwater communications, low-frequency(LF) receiving antennas have been
actively studied. However, because the frequency range of LF antenna is 30kHz
to 300kHz, its electromagnetic wavelength is 1km to 10km, which makes LF
electromagnetic antennas difficult to be implemented in miniaturized or
portable devices. This article presents a miniaturized LF magnetoelectric(ME)
receiving antenna with an integrated DC magnetic bias. The antenna is based on
the magnetoelectric effect and operates by resonance at its mechanical resonant
frequency. Thus, compared with traditional LF wire antennas, the dimension of
ME antenna is reduced significantly. Compared with prior art of ME antennas
which do not have DC magnetic bias, higher performance can be achieved by
integrating the miniaturized DC magnetic bias. Compared with prior art of an ME
antenna with bulky external DC magnetic bias, the ME antenna with an integrated
DC magnetic bias significantly reduce its dimension. Magnetostrictive
TbDyFe2(Terfenol-D) and piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate(PZT) thin films
are bonded together to form the 38x12x5.8mm3 ME receiving antenna. Four
10x10x10mm3 Rb magnets are implemented to provide an optimal DC bias for the
antenna. A maximum operation distance of 2.5m is demonstrated with the DC
magnetic field bias, 2.27 times of the maximum operation distance of the
antenna without DC magnet field bias. The efficiency, gain and quality factor
the ME receiving antenna is also characterized. The miniaturized LF ME antenna
could have potential applications in portable electronics, internet of things
and underwater communications.
