| Microwave hyperthermia is a cancer treatment used in combination with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Hyperthermia sensitizes cancer cells to the primary treatment by sublethal heat. An antenna array non-invasively launches electromagnetic waves, targeting cancer cells, and produces preferential heating. This thesis discusses the two-arm Archimedean spiral antenna as a possible antenna to deliver such energy.;This thesis explores two types of input signals to the antenna array: a continuous wave and a pulse. By strategically changing the phase of the continuous wave or the delay of the pulse of individual antenna elements, spots of maximal energy deposition within the phantom can be controlled. In the case of pulse-excited antenna array, temperature distribution is also computed.;Simulations are performed on a homogeneous cylindrical numerical phantom using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. FDTD is well-suited for the analysis of the interaction between electromagnetic waves and complex media. |
