Showing papers in "IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation in 2006"

A Comprehensive Standardized Model for Ultrawideband Propagation Channels

Abstract: A comprehensive statistical model is described for ultrawideband (UWB) propagation channels that is valid for a frequency range from 3-10 GHz. It is based on measurements and simulations in the following environments: residential indoor, office indoor, builtup outdoor, industrial indoor, farm environments, and body area networks. The model is independent of the used antennas. It includes the frequency dependence of the path gain as well as several generalizations of the Saleh-Valenzuela model, like mixed Poisson times of arrival and delay-dependent cluster decay constants. A separate model is specified for the frequency range below 1 GHz. The model can thus be used for realistic performance assessment of UWB systems. It was accepted by the IEEE 802.15.4a Task Group as standard model for evaluation of UWB system proposals. This paper also presents a critical assessment of the applicability of the model and possible generalizations and improvements

Study and Reduction of the Mutual Coupling Between Two Mobile Phone PIFAs Operating in the DCS1800 and UMTS Bands

Abstract: Several solutions are presented to reduce the mutual coupling between two planar inverted-F antennas (PIFAs) working in close radiocommunication standards and positioned on a finite-sized ground plane modeling the printed circuit board (PCB) of a typical mobile phone. First, the two PIFAs are designed on separate PCBs to, respectively, operate in the DCS1800 and UMTS bands. In a second step, they are associated on the top edge of the same PCB. Realistic arrangements are then theoretically and experimentally studied. Finally, several solutions are investigated to maximize the isolation. They consist in inserting a suspended line between the PIFAs' feedings and/or shorting points. All along this paper, several prototypes are fabricated and their performances measured to validate the obtained IE3D moment method-based simulation results

Metamaterial-based efficient electrically small antennas

Abstract: A metamaterial paradigm for achieving an efficient, electrically small antenna is introduced Spherical shells of homogenous, isotropic negative permittivity (ENG) material are designed to create electrically small resonant systems for several antennas: an infinitesimal electric dipole, a very short center-fed cylindrical electric dipole, and a very short coaxially-fed electric monopole over an infinite ground plane Analytical and numerical models demonstrate that a properly designed ENG shell provides a distributed inductive element resonantly matched to these highly capacitive electrically small antennas, ie, an ENG shell can be designed to produce an electrically small system with a zero input reactance and an input resistance that is matched to a specified source resistance leading to overall efficiencies approaching unity Losses and dispersion characteristics of the ENG materials are also included in the analytical models Finite element numerical models of the various antenna-ENG shell systems are developed and used to predict their input impedances These electrically small antenna-ENG shell systems with idealized dispersionless ENG material properties are shown to be very efficient and to have fractional bandwidths above the values associated with the Chu limit for the quality factor without any degradation in the radiation patterns of the antennas Introducing dispersion and losses into the analytical models, the resulting bandwidths are shown to be reduced significantly, but remain slightly above (below) the corresponding Chu-based value for an energy-based limiting (Drude) dispersion model of the permittivity of the ENG shell

A miniature UWB planar monopole antenna with 5-GHz band-rejection filter and the time-domain characteristics

Abstract: A planar monopole antenna with a staircase shape and small volume (25times26times1 mm3) is proposed in this paper. With the use of a half-bowtie radiating element, the staircase-shape, and a modified ground plane structure, the proposed antenna has a very wide impedance bandwidth measured at about 11.6 GHz (2.9-14.5 GHz, bandwidth ratio about 1:5) below VSWR 2 including the WLAN band notched in the vicinity of 5 GHz. An omnidirectional radiation pattern is obtained. The group delay which is an indication of linearity between two proposed antennas is less than 1 ns. The electrical characteristics in terms of frequency and time domains and physical ones of the proposed antenna make it attractive for use in ultrawideband (UWB) systems

Reconfigurable scan-beam single-arm spiral antenna integrated with RF-MEMS switches

Abstract: A fully integrated solution providing scan-beam capability with a single antenna is presented in this paper for the first time. The proposed system includes a reconfigurable rectangular spiral antenna with a set of micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) switches, which are monolithically integrated and packaged onto the same substrate. The system is based on a single-arm rectangular spiral antenna, capable of changing its radiation pattern using radio frequency-MEMS (RF-MEMS) switches. The rectangular spiral and RF-MEMS switches are monolithically integrated on a conventional microwave substrate printed circuit board (/spl epsiv//sub r/=3.27 and tan/spl delta/=0.004) and quartz substrate (/spl epsiv//sub r/=3.78 and tan/spl delta/=0.0002). The spiral is made out of multiple lines, which are interconnected by RF-MEMS switches strategically located along the spiral. On activating these switches, the spiral overall arm length is changed and consequently its radiation beam direction is changed. The two proposed antennas radiate right hand circular polarization (RHCP) and left hand circular polarization (LHCP) for printed circuit board and quartz substrate respectively. The gain of the two antennas varies between 3/spl sim/6 dBi. They both satisfy the 3-dB axial ratio criterion at their operating frequency band, i.e., at 10 GHz and 6 GHz for the printed circuit board and the quartz substrate respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first truly reconfigurable printed antenna design using MEMS devices as active elements integrated in the same low loss substrate. The excellent performance of the proposed system emphasizes the importance of being able to integrate MEMS switches into the same low loss substrate for antenna applications. This technology pioneers the design of arbitrarily shaped reconfigurable antennas including the design of reconfigurable antenna arrays.

On the Use of Reverberation Chambers to Simulate a Rician Radio Environment for the Testing of Wireless Devices

Abstract: With the proliferation of wireless devices in recent years, there is a growing need to test the operation and functionality of these various devices in different multipath environments, ranging from line-of-sight environment to a pure Rayleigh environment. In this paper we discuss how a reverberation chamber can be used to simulate a controllable Rician radio environment for the testing of a wireless device. We show that by varying the characteristics of the reverberation chamber and/or the antenna configurations in the chamber, any desired Rician K-factor can be obtained. Expressions for the desired K-factor as a function of the chamber and antenna characteristics will be presented. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the validity of these expressions, to show how the reverberation chamber can be used to simulate different multipath environments, and to show the realization of a controlled K-factor test facility. We present both a one-antenna and a two-antenna test configuration approach

Dual-band reconfigurable antenna with a very wide tunability range

Abstract: A new technique for designing dual-band reconfigurable slot antennas is presented. Dual-frequency operation is achieved by loading a slot antenna with two lumped variable capacitors (varactors) placed in proper locations along the slot. Loading the slot antenna with lumped capacitors shifts down the resonant frequencies of the first and second resonances of the antenna. However, these frequency shifts depend not only on the values of the capacitors, but also on their locations along the slot antenna. Here, it is shown that by choosing the locations of the varactors appropriately, it is possible to obtain a dual-band antenna whose first and second resonant frequencies can be controlled individually. In other words, the frequency of either the first or the second band can be fixed, while the other one is electronically tuned. Using such a design, an electronically tunable dual-band antenna is designed and fabricated using two identical varactors having a capacitance range of 0.5-2.25 pF. The antenna is shown to have a frequency ratio (f/sub R/=f/sub 2//f/sub 1/) ranging from 1.3 to 2.67. An important feature of this antenna is its consistent radiation pattern, polarization, and polarization purity at both bands and across its entire tunable frequency range.

Compact Ultrawideband Rectangular Aperture Antenna and Band-Notched Designs

Abstract: A simple and compact ultrawideband (UWB) aperture antenna with extended band-notched designs is presented. The antenna consists of a rectangular aperture on a printed circuit board ground plane and a T-shaped exciting stub. The proposed planar coplanar waveguide fed antenna is easy to be integrated with radio-frequency/microwave circuitry for low manufacturing cost. The antenna is successfully designed, implemented, and measured. A compact aperture area of 13 times23mm2 is obtained with promising performances, including broadband matched impedance, stable radiation patterns, and constant group delay. The correlation between the mode-based field distributions and radiation patterns is discussed. Extended from the proposed antenna, three advanced band-notched (5-6 GHz) designs are also presented as a desirable feature for UWB applications

Pattern and frequency reconfigurable annular slot antenna using PIN diodes

Abstract: This paper presents the use of pin diodes to reconfigure the impedance match and modify the radiation pattern of an annular slot antenna (ASA). The planar antenna is fabricated on one side of a Duroid substrate and the microstrip feeding line with the matching network is fabricated on the opposite side of the board. The central frequency is 5.8 GHz and, by reconfiguring the matching circuit, the antenna was also designed to operate at 5.2 and 6.4 GHz. Pin diodes are also used to short the ASA in preselected positions along the circumference, thereby changing the direction of the null in the plane defined by the circular slot changes. As a proof of concept, two pin diodes are placed 45/spl deg/ on both sides of the feeding line along the ASA and the direction of the null is shown to align with the direction defined by the circular slot center and the diode. Consequently, a design that is reconfigurable in both frequency and radiation pattern is accomplished. Return loss and radiation pattern measurements and simulations are presented, which are in very good agreement.

Composite right/left-handed transmission line based compact resonant antennas for RF module integration

Abstract: Several electrically small resonant antennas employing the composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL) are presented for integration with portable RF modules. The proposed antenna designs are based on the unique property of anti-parallel phase and group velocity of the CRLH-TL at its fundamental mode. In this mode, the propagation constant increases as the frequency decreases, therefore, a small guided wavelength can be obtained at a lower frequency to provide the small lambdag/2 resonant length used to realize a compact antenna design. Furthermore, the physical size and the operational frequency of the antenna depend on the unit cell size and the equivalent transmission line model parameters of the CRLH-TL, including series inductance, series capacitance, shunt inductance and shunt capacitance. Optimization of these parameters as well as miniaturization techniques of the physical size of unit cell is investigated. A four unit-cell resonant antenna is designed and tested at 1.06 GHz. The length, width and height of the proposed antenna are 1/19lambda0, 1/23lambda0 and 1/83lambda0, respectively. In addition, a compact antenna using a 2-D three by three mushroom like unit cell arrangement is developed at 1.17 GHz, showing that an increased gain of 0.6 dB and higher radiation efficiency can be achieved over the first prototype antenna. The same design is applied in the development of a circularly polarized antenna operating at 2.46 GHz. A 116deg beamwidth with axial ratio better than 3 dB is observed. The physical size of the proposed mushroom type small antenna and the circularly polarized antenna is 1/14lambda0 by 1/14lambda0 by 1/39lambda0 and 1/10lambda0 by 1/10lambda 0 by 1/36lambda0, respectively

Frequency and beam reconfigurable antenna using photoconducting switches

Abstract: A design for an optically reconfigurable printed dipole antenna is presented. A wideband coplanar waveguide (CPW) to coplanar stripline (CPS) transition is used to feed the balanced printed dipole. Two silicon photo switches are placed on small gaps in both dipole arms equidistant from the centre feed. Light from two infrared laser diodes channelled through fiber optic cables is applied to the switches. With the gaps in the dipole bridged, the antenna resonates at a lower frequency. Measured return loss results that compare well to the simulated values are also presented, showing a frequency shift of nearly 40%. The change in bore-sight gain along with radiation patterns are also presented. Activating each switch individually results in a near 50/spl deg/ shift in beam nulls.

Textile UWB Antennas for Wireless Body Area Networks

Abstract: A new ultrawideband (UWB) textile antenna designed for UWB wireless body area network (WBAN) applications is presented. Unlike previous textile antennas, these antennas offer a direct integration into clothing due to a very small thickness (0.5 mm) and flexibility. We have realized two different designs of textile antennas: coplanar waveguide fed printed UWB disc monopole and UWB annular slot antenna. To our knowledge, these are the first textile UWB antennas reported in the open literature. Measured return loss and radiation pattern characteristics of textile UWB antennas agree well with simulations. Moreover, measured transfer functions show that these textile antennas possess excellent transient characteristics, when operating in free space as well as on the human body. They can operate in the entire UWB band approved by the Federal Communications Commission (3.1-10.6 GHz)

Study of printed elliptical/circular slot antennas for ultrawideband applications

Abstract: Two novel designs of planar elliptical slot antennas are presented. Printed on a dielectric substrate and fed by either microstrip line or coplanar waveguide with U-shaped tuning stub, the elliptical/circular slots have been demonstrated to exhibit an ultrawideband characteristic. The performances and characteristics of the proposed antennas are investigated both numerically and experimentally. Based on these analyses, an empirical formula is introduced to approximately determine the lower edge of the -10 dB operating bandwidth. It is also shown that these antennas are nearly omnidirectional over a majority fraction of the bandwidth.

Integration of packaged RF MEMS switches with radiation pattern reconfigurable square spiral microstrip antennas

Abstract: This work describes the integration of commercially available packaged radio frequency microelectromechanical system (RF MEMS) switches with radiation pattern reconfigurable microstrip antennas. Most applications of RF MEMS switches consider the switches as only circuit elements. In contrast, the implementation of packaged switches in this particular antenna must address not only the simple open/closed behavior of the switches but also their impact on the radiation characteristics of the reconfigurable antenna. Here, two Radant MEMS single-pole single throw (SPST) SPST-RMSW100 (packaged RF MEMS) switches are used to reconfigure the radiation patterns of a resonant square spiral microstrip antenna between endfire and broadside over a common impedance bandwidth. Switch insertion, matching network design, and other issues are addressed. Results for both simulated and measured antennas, as well as recommendations for future work in this area, are provided.

New Radiation $Q$ Limits for Spherical Wire Antennas

Abstract: Considerable work has been published to define the minimum possible antenna radiation Q as a function of the antenna size and gain. Many of the derivations assume an enclosing sphere and deal only with the fields external to this sphere. As a result, the limits tend to be overly optimistic, and realizable antennas generally have Q's considerably higher than the minimum values predicted by these theories. This paper defines stricter limits that apply to a class of antennas (or scatterers) consisting of any arrangement of conductors on a spherical surface. Energy stored within the sphere is included in the analysis. The minimum Q values are as much as three times the values based only on external fields. Recently published independent experimental data on electrically small antennas in this class reported Q values only slightly higher than the new limits provided in this paper

A varactor-tuned dual-band slot antenna

Abstract: A new technique for designing dual-band reconfigurable slot antennas is introduced The technique is based on loading a slot antenna with a lumped capacitor (or varactor) at a certain location along the slot Given a fixed capacitor location along the slot, decreasing the capacitance results in increasing the first and second resonant frequencies of the slot antenna However, the changes in the resonant frequencies are significantly different for the first and second resonances and, hence, a dual-band antenna with considerable frequency ratio tuning range can be obtained Based on this technique, an electronically tunable dual-band antenna with a frequency ratio in the range of 12-165 is designed and fabricated using a single varactor with a capacitance range of 05-22 pF The antenna has similar radiation patterns with low cross-polarization levels at both bands and across the entire tunable frequency range

Array thinning by using antennas in a Fabry-Perot cavity for gain enhancement

Abstract: A Fabry–Perot cavity (FPC) between a ground plane and a partially reflective surface (PRS) is used here to design array antennas with large distance between the radiating elements. This configuration provides some advantages: i) a reduction of the number of array elements to achieve high directivity; ii) large space between contiguous elements that may host a bulky feeding network as required for dual polarization or active antennas; iii) small coupling and easy feeding network designs because of the smaller number of elements with larger inter-element distance. We show that when designing the FPC antenna a frequency shift of the gain maximum may occur, especially in this sparse array configuration. We also show the existence of preferred distances between elements that controls both the directivity and the side lobe level, and how the presence of the FPC and the relaxed requirement of the interelement distance result in a lower interelement coupling. The presented dual polarized antenna comprises two interleaved 2 x 2 arrays placed in a 2-layer FPC, and exhibits a 19 dBi gain and 30 dB of isolation between the two ports over an operating bandwidth of approximately 5.7%, i.e., typical for patch antennas.

Fundamental properties and optimization of broadside radiation from uniform leaky-wave antennas

Abstract: In this paper, radiation at broadside is studied for a general class of leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) comprised of a grounded slab covered with a partially reflecting surface, on the basis of a simple transverse equivalent network model of the structure. The analysis of the one-dimensional (1-D) version of such a LWA excited by a line source shows that a central role in establishing the features of broadside radiation is played by the condition that the phase and attenuation constants of the leaky mode responsible for radiation are equal. When this happens, a beam with a single peak at broadside is on the verge of splitting into two distinct peaks, and maximum power density is radiated at broadside. Design formulas to achieve such an optimized condition, as well as approximate expressions for the frequency bandwidth and pattern beamwidth of the antenna and for the leaky-wave phase and attenuation constants are derived, both in the absence and in the presence of losses; in addition, an optimal-beamwidth condition (which gives the narrowest broadside beam) is derived. Finally, all the results are extended to the practical case of a 2-D LWA excited by a horizontal dipole

Tailoring the AMC and EBG characteristics of periodic metallic arrays printed on grounded dielectric substrate

Abstract: The artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) and electromagnetic band gap (EBG) characteristics of planar periodic metallic arrays printed on grounded dielectric substrate are investigated. The currents induced on the arrays are presented for the first time and their study reveals two distinct resonance phenomena associated with these surfaces. A new technique is presented to tailor the spectral position of the AMC operation and the EBG. Square patch arrays with fixed element size and variable periodicities are employed as working examples to demonstrate the dependence of the spectral AMC and EBG characteristics on array parameters. It is revealed that as the array periodicity is increased, the AMC frequency is increased, while the EBG frequency is reduced. This is shown to occur due to the different nature of the resonance phenomena and the associated underlying physical mechanisms that produce the two effects. The effect of substrate thickness is also investigated. Full wave method of moments (MoM) has been employed for the derivation of the reflection characteristics, the currents and the dispersion relations. A uniplanar array with simultaneous AMC and EBG operation is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally.

Impact of Matching Network on Bandwidth of Compact Antenna Arrays

Abstract: We analyze the impact of the matching network on compact multiple-input multiple-output systems. Existing studies have found that the matching network has a significant influence on the performance of multiple antenna systems when the antennas are in close proximity. However, none has examined the wide-band case. In this paper, we investigate the wide-band performance of four different matching networks for multiple dipole antennas. The performance of the matching networks is given in terms of the bandwidths of correlation and matching efficiency, which are extensions of the single-antenna concept of bandwidth to multiple antenna systems. We also investigate the impact of the propagation conditions on the matching and bandwidth. For a uniform two-dimensional (2-D) angular power spectrum, we find that while individual-port matching can achieve in excess of 3% fractional correlation bandwidth for envelope correlation of 0.5 at an antenna separation of 0.01lambda, multiport matching is required for efficiency bandwidth to exist for a return loss of -6 dB. Moreover, even with multiport matching, both correlation and efficiency bandwidths decrease drastically at small antenna separations. At 0.01lambda, the correlation and efficiency bandwidths are 0.4% and 0.2%, respectively. Similar evaluations were performed for measured outdoor-to-indoor channels with moderate to small 2-D angular spreads. We find that the efficiency advantage of multiport matching over individual-port matching diminishes with decreasing angular spread

Coupling element based mobile terminal antenna structures

Abstract: In this paper, internal low-volume antenna structures for mobile terminals are studied. The work concentrates on the possibilities to reduce the volume of mobile terminal antenna elements by efficiently utilizing the radiation of the currents on the mobile terminal chassis. Essentially nonresonant coupling elements are used to optimally couple to the dominating char- acteristic wavemodes of the chassis. The antenna structures are tuned to resonance with matching circuits. During the last few years, the approach has achieved growing interest—also among industrial manufacturers of mobile terminals. There exist, how- ever, no systematical feasibility and performance studies of the idea. During the work, two antenna models with very low-volume coupling elements are designed and in total four prototypes are constructed. The simulation and measurement results show that the studied antenna concept is a very promising alternative for traditional antenna technologies. The presented analysis provides useful and novel information for the designs of the future low-pro- file and low-volume mobile terminal antennas.

Design, fabrication, and measurements of an RF-MEMS-based self-similar reconfigurable antenna

Abstract: Reconfigurability in an antenna system is a desired characteristic that has been the focus of much research in recent years. In this work, ohmic contact cantilever RF-MEMS switches are integrated with self-similar planar antennas to provide a reconfigurable antenna system that radiates similar patterns over a wide range of frequencies. The different issues encountered during the integration of the MEMS switches and the overall system design procedure are described herein. The final model radiates at three widely separated frequencies with very similar radiation patterns. The proposed concept can be extended to reconfigurable linear antenna arrays or to more complex antenna structures with large improvements in antenna performance.

The distribution of the product of independent Rayleigh random variables

Abstract: We derive the exact probability density functions (pdf) and distribution functions (cdf) of a product of n independent Rayleigh distributed random variables. The case n=1 is the classical Rayleigh distribution, while n/spl ges/2 is the n-Rayleigh distribution that has recently attracted interest in wireless propagation research. The distribution functions are derived by using an inverse Mellin transform technique from statistics, and are given in terms of a special function of mathematical physics, the Meijer G-function. Series forms of the distribution function are also provided for n=3, 4, 5. We also derive a computationally simple moment-based estimator for the parameter occurring in the distribution, and evaluate its variance.

Dual-Polarization Dual-Coverage Reflectarray for Space Applications

Abstract: A breadboard of a three-layer printed reflectarray for dual polarization with a different coverage in each polarization has been designed, manufactured, and tested. The reflectarray consists of three layers of rectangular patch arrays separated by a honeycomb and backed by a ground plane. The beam shaping for each polarization is achieved by adjusting the phase of the reflection coefficient at each reflective element independently for each linear polarization. The phase shift for each polarization is controlled by varying either the x or y patch dimensions. The dimensions of the rectangular patches are optimized to achieve the required phase shift for each beam at central and extreme frequencies in the working band. The reflectarray has been designed to produce a contoured beam for a European coverage in H-polarization in a 10% bandwidth, and a pencil beam to illuminate the East Coast in North America in V-polarization. The measured radiation patterns show that gain requirements are practically fulfilled in a 10% bandwidth for both coverages, and the electrical performances of the breadboard are close to those of a classical dual gridded reflector

Theory and analysis of differentially-driven microstrip antennas

Abstract: This paper studies differentially-driven microstrip antennas. The theory of microstrip antennas based on the improved cavity model is expanded to analyze the input impedance and radiation characteristics of the differentially-driven microstrip antennas. The differentially-driven microstrip antennas were fabricated. Their performances were experimentally verified. Results show that the occurrence of resonance for the differentially-driven microstrip antennas also depends on the ratio of the separation /spl xi/ of the dual feeds to the free-space wavelength /spl lambda//sub o/. When the dual feeds are located far from each other /spl xi///spl lambda//sub o/>0.1, the resonance occurs, and the input resistance at resonance is rather large. However, when the dual feeds are located near to each other /spl xi///spl lambda//sub o/<0.1, the resonance does not occur, the input resistance is quite small, and the input impedance is inductive. Compared with single-ended microstrip antennas, the differentially-driven microstrip antennas have larger resonant resistance, similar co-polar radiation patterns, and lower cross-polar radiation component.

Analysis of directive radiation from a line source in a metamaterial slab with low permittivity

Abstract: In this paper an investigation is presented of metamaterial structures excited by a line source aimed at producing narrow directive beams. The structure under consideration is a grounded slab made of a homogeneous metamaterial medium with a plasma-like dispersive permittivity; for low values of the slab permittivity an extremely directive beam pointing at broadside can be obtained. Conditions for the maximization of radiation at broadside are given and the narrow-beam effect is shown to be related to the excitation of a leaky mode supported by the slab, with radiation maximization corresponding to small and equal values of the phase and attenuation constants. The frequency bandwidth and directivity are expressed in a simple closed form in terms of the attenuation constant of the leaky mode. By increasing the slab height for a fixed frequency, the leaky mode is analytically shown to give rise to a beam that is scanned from broadside to the critical angle for plane-wave refraction, thus being confined to a narrow angular region around broadside. Numerical results are given that illustrate these features, and full-wave simulations of a metamaterial structure made of an array of metallic cylinders are presented that confirm the results of the analytical study. The case of a line source inside a semi-infinite metamaterial region is also considered and its radiation characteristics compared with those of the metamaterial slab

Current and charge Integral equation formulation

Abstract: A new stable frequency domain surface integral equation formulation is proposed for the three dimensional electromagnetic scattering of composite metallic and dielectric objects. The developed formulation does not suffer from the low frequency breakdown and leads to a well balanced and stable system on a wide frequency band. Surface charge densities are used as unknowns in addition to the traditional surface current densities. The balance of the system is achieved by using normalized field quantities and by enforcing the continuity of the fields across the boundaries with carefully chosen scaling factors. The linear dependence between the currents and charges is taken into account with an integral operator, and the linear dependence in charges is removed with the deflation method. A combined field integral equation form of the formulation is proposed to remove the internal resonance problem associated to the closed metallic objects. Due to the good balance in the new formulation, fast converging iterative solutions on a very wide frequency band can be obtained. The new formulation and its convergence is verified with numerical examples.

A metallic Fabry-Perot directive antenna

Abstract: We report the design of a directive antenna using the electromagnetic resonances of a Fabry-Perot cavity The Fabry-Perot cavity is made of a ground plane and a single metallic grid The resonance is excited by a patch antenna placed in the cavity at the vicinity of the ground plane The two remarkable features of Fabry-Perot cavity antennas are, first, that they are very thin and second that only one excitation point is needed A directivity of about 600 is measured at f=1480 GHz which is to our knowledge one of the highest directivities reported for an antenna using Fabry-Perot resonances

Analysis of the small band-rejected antenna with the parasitic strip for UWB

Abstract: A novel band-rejected ultrawideband antenna with one parasitic strip is presented in this paper. It is designed to work on a substrate FR4 that has a thickness of 1 mm and relative permittivity of 4.6, and to operate from 3 to 17 GHz. The proposed antenna is fed by microstrip line and utilizes the parasitic strip to reject the frequency band (5.15-5.825 GHz) limited by IEEE 802.11a and HIPERLAN/2. The size of the antenna is 20/spl times/20 mm/sup 2/ and this antenna has good radiation characteristics. Effects of varying the location and length of the parasitic strip and the structure of the ground and monopole patch on the antenna performance have also been studied.

Magnetodielectric Substrates in Antenna Miniaturization: Potential and Limitations

Abstract: We discuss patch antenna miniaturization using magnetodielectric substrates. Recent results found in the literature reveal that with passive substrates advantages over conventional dielectric substrates can only be achieved if natural magnetic inclusions are embedded into the substrate. This observation is revised and the physical background is clarified. We present a detailed discussion concerning magnetic materials available in the microwave regime and containing natural magnetic constituents. The effects of magnetic dispersion and loss are studied: constraints on the microwave permeability are used to estimate the effect of magnetic substrates on the achievable impedance bandwidth. Microwave composites filled with thin ferromagnetic films are considered as a prospective antenna substrate. We calculate the impedance bandwidth of a lambda/2-patch antenna loaded with the proposed substrate, and challenge the results against those obtained with conventional dielectric substrates. The results are verified using full-wave simulations, and it is shown that the radiation quality factor is strongly minimized with the proposed substrate even in the presence of realistic losses. Estimates for the radiation efficiency are given as a function of the magnetic loss factor