Design of a microwave array hyperthermia applicator with a semicircular reflector

The design of a hyperthermia applicator for heating biological tissues is p resented in which the applicator consists of an array antenna surrounded by a perfect electrically conducting reflector. The heat hazard to superficia l tissues is reduced by the introduction of a dielectric protecting layer o ver them. A method of moments formulation is applied to approximate the ele ctric field within the biological medium and a closed form expression is pr esented for the electromagnetic coupling problem, which enables an optimisa tion procedure to be performed. The applicator enhances both penetration an d focusing: deep tumours, close to the bone region, are heated and the perc entage of biologically healthy tissue exposed to a specific absorption rate (SAR) hazard level diminishes by 53.8%.