Journal ArticleDOI
Reconfigurable scan-beam single-arm spiral antenna integrated with RF-MEMS switches
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TLDR
In this paper, 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, is presented.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.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Reconfigurable Antennas for Wireless and Space Applications
TL;DR: Several examples of reconfigurable antennas for both terrestrial and space applications are highlighted, such as cognitive radio, multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems, and satellite communication.
Patent
Method and apparatus for coupling an antenna to a device
Paul Shala Henry,Donald J. Barnickel,Farhad Barzegar,Robert Bennett,Irwin Gerszberg,Thomas M. Willis +5 more
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Remote distributed antenna system
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Method and apparatus for sensing a condition in a transmission medium of electromagnetic waves
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Method and apparatus that provides fault tolerance in a communication network
Paul Shala Henry,Robert Bennett,Irwin Gerszberg,Farhad Barzegar,Donald J. Barnickel,Thomas M. Willis +5 more
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References
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Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design
TL;DR: The most up-to-date resource available on antenna theory and design as mentioned in this paper provides an extended coverage of ABET design procedures and equations making meeting ABET requirements easy and preparing readers for authentic situations in industry.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the basics of RF MEMS and how to design practical devices and circuits are discussed, as well as expert tips for designers and a range of real-world applications.
Journal ArticleDOI
Metamaterial-based electronically controlled transmission-line structure as a novel leaky-wave antenna with tunable radiation angle and beamwidth
TL;DR: In this article, a metamaterial-based electronically controlled transmission line structure is presented and demonstrated as a novel leaky-wave (LW) antenna with tunable radiation angle and beamwidth functionalities.
Journal ArticleDOI
Performance of low-loss RF MEMS capacitive switches
TL;DR: In this paper, the construction and performance of metal membrane radio frequency MEMS switches at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies was described. But the authors focused on the performance of the switches in terms of on-off capacitance ratio.
Journal ArticleDOI
Micromachined low-loss microwave switches
TL;DR: In this paper, the design and fabrication of a micromechanical capacitive membrane microwave switching device is described, which consists of a thin metallic membrane, which has two states, actuated or unactuated, depending on the applied bias.