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ABSTRACT: A reconfigurable wideband and multiband C-Slot patch antenna with dual-patch elements is proposed and studied. It occupies a compact volume of 50 × 50 × 1.57 (3925 mm<sup>3</sup>), including the ground plane. The antenna can operate in two dual-band modes and a wideband mode from 5 to 7 GHz. Two parallel C-Slots on the patch elements are employed to perturb the surface current paths for excitation of the dual-band and the wideband modes. Two switches, implemented using PIN diodes, are placed on the connecting lines of a simple feed network to the patch elements. Dual-band modes are achieved by switching “ON” either one of the two patch elements, while the wideband mode with an impedance bandwidth of 33.52% is obtained by switching “ON” both patch elements. The frequencies in the dual-band modes can be independently controlled using positions and dimensions of the C-Slots without affecting the wideband mode. The advantage of the proposed antenna is that two dual-band operations and one wideband operation can be achieved using the same dimensions. This overcomes the need for increasing the surface area normally incurred when designing wideband patch antennas. Simulation results are validated experimentally through prototypes. The measured radiation patterns and peak gains show stable responses and are in good agreements. Coupling between the two patch elements plays a major role for achieving the wide bandwidth and the effects of mutual coupling between the patch elements are also studied.
IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 02/2012; · 2.15 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The design of a small ultra-thin printed inverted-F antenna (PIFA) with independent control on the resonant frequency bands is proposed. The antenna consists of a slotted radiator supported by shorting walls and a small ground plane. The structure is designed and optimized to operate at 2.09, 3.74 and 5 GHz with achievable bandwidths of 11%, 8.84% and 10%, respectively. These three bands cover the existing wireless communication frequency bands from 1.5-6.8 GHz. Each of the three bands can be controlled independently without affecting the other two bands. The 2.09 GHz band can be controlled to operate between 1.5-2.09 GHz (33.33%), the 3.74 GHz band can be controlled over the range of 3.57-4.18 GHz (15.76%) and the 5 GHz band can be controlled to cover the band from 5.00-6.80 GHz (30.50%). Results of intensive investigations using computer simulations and measurements show that the ground plane and the feed locations of the antenna have marginal effects on the performance of the antenna. The effects of the user's hand and mobile phone housing on the return loss, radiation patterns, gains and efficiency are characterized. The measured peak gains of the prototype antenna at 2.09, 3.74 and 5 GHz are 2.05, 2.32 and 3.47 dBi, respectively. The measured radiation efficiencies for the corresponding three bands are 70.12, 60.29 and 66.24% respectively.
IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 08/2011; · 2.15 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A non-thermal soldering technique using cold solder or electrically conductive epoxy for connecting SMA connectors to polymer based antennas is proposed in this paper. The proposed technique prevents damage to the polymer due to the solder iron heat and also the loss of efficiency through the use of indirect connections of the coaxial feed via copper pads glued to the antenna. The direct connection of the feed points via SMA connectors on to a transparent antenna designed on AgHT-8 material has been demonstrated. The method can also be applied to solder the coaxial feed points directly to the antenna instead of using copper pads which will introduce additional reflection losses. The technique involves the use of colder soldering instead of hot soldering so as to not damage the polymer based antenna as well as improve the efficiency of the antenna.
Microwave Conference (EuMC), 2010 European; 10/2010
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ABSTRACT: A novel technique and a nonthermal soldering method to improve the performance of AgHT-8 transparent polymer antennas are proposed in this letter. The proposed technique involves the removal of the coating layer at areas on the coplanar waveguide (CPW) ground and feed line where the connectors of the coaxial feed or legs of the SMA connectors will be attached and applying a coat of silver paint on the exposed areas before cold-soldering the coaxial connections or SMA connector legs. The nonthermal or cold soldering using electrically conductive paste enables direct soldering of the coaxial feed points or connector legs, which cannot otherwise be done with hot or thermal soldering. This type of connection greatly enhances the performance of the AgHT-8 polymer antennas compared to coaxial feed point connections through hot-soldered copper pads glued to the surface of the polymer coating. The proposed technique also gives a stronger connection bond than directly cold-soldering the feed points or connectors to the smooth surface of the AgHT-8 material. Furthermore, the copper pad connection technique also introduces additional losses contributed by the adhesive properties of the glue used. This proposed novel technique and soldering method may be extended to enhance antenna performance made from other similar transparent conductive polymers like ITO.
IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters 02/2010; · 1.37 Impact Factor
