Design and Analysis of a Hexa-Band Frequency Reconfigurable Monopole Antenna

ABSTRACT

Recent surge in the development of wireless communication has increased the need of the antennas that can operate at more than one frequency band. To meet the requirements, reconfigurable antennas are used. This paper presents design and analysis of a low profile, planar and, frequency reconfigurable E-shape patch antenna, using a 1.6 mm thicker FR-4 substrate. The antenna operates in two single-band and two dual-band modes, depending on the status of the two switches. The proposed antenna works efficiently (>90%) with an adequate gain (>2 dBi) and bandwidth (430 MHz–1 GHz) in the desired frequency bands {WiFi (2.45 GHz), WiMAX (3.59 GHz), WLAN (5.2 GHz), Military/NATO (4.5 GHz), C-Band (6.22 and 6.27 GHz)}. The antenna is optimally matched (VSWR < 1.45) in all these six frequency bands. The proposed antenna is compact in size (40 × 35 mm²) and can be used in portable electronic devices to support multiple wireless services. The antenna is analysed in computer simulation technology, microwave studio (CST MWS). The prototype is fabricated and measurements are conducted to validate the simulations.

KEYWORDS:

• CST MWS
• Dual band
• Patch antenna
• Reconfigurable
• Wi-Fi
• WLAN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors of the manuscript thankfully acknowledge the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad Campus, for their support in the measurements at Research Institute for Microwave and Millimeter-wave Studies (RIMMS). We are also grateful to Dr James A Flint, Loughborough University, UK, for his support in characterization of the switches in CST MWS. Engr. Jalal Khan, UET Peshawar, is also thankfully acknowledged for his useful suggestions during this work.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S. Ullah

S. Ullah is an assistant professor and Head of Telecommunication Engineering Department, University of Engineering & Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan. Sadiq Ullah received BSc electrical engineering degree from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan. He achieved his MSc degree in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology Taxila, Pakistan. In 2007, he joined the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Loughborough University, U.K., and was awarded PhD degree for his research in the field of design and measurement of metamaterial-based antennas in 2010. He worked as an assistant manager (Electronics) in a public sector R and D organization in Islamabad, where his main responsibilities were hardware, software co-design, designing and testing of high precession electronics, test equipment. His research mainly focuses on design and measurement of low-profile antennas on electromagnetic Bandgap structures, RFID tag antennas and wearable antennas. He has been worked as a research associate at Loughborough University, where he researched on the propagation effects of rain, snow, ice, fog and forest in millimeter wave band. During his PhD, he published his research in international conferences and journals.

E-mail: [email protected]

S. Ahmad

S. Ahmad is a research student in UET Peshawar, Pakistan in the Department of Telecommunication Engineering, UET Peshawar (Mardan Campus), Pakistan. Currently he is doing research on reconfigurable antennas. His research interests include planar antenna, millimeter wave antennas, multiband antennas, implanted antennas, specific absorption rate analysis, frequency selective surfaces and EBGs.

E-mail: [email protected]

B. A. Khan

B. A. Khan is a research student in UET Peshawar, Pakistan in the Department of Telecommunication Engineering, UET Peshawar (Mardan Campus), Pakistan. Currently he is doing research on reconfigurable antennas. His research interests include planar antennas, millimeter wave antennas and metamaterial surfaces.

E-mail: [email protected]

U. Ali

U. Ali received his BSc Telecommunication Engineering from University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan in 2012. He received his MSc degree in Telecommunication Engineering from University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, Pakistan in 2017. His research interests include metamaterials, signal processing, electromagnetic bandgap structures and wearable antennas. Currently he is working as a lab engineer in the same department.

E-mail: [email protected]

F. A. Tahir

F. A. Tahir was born in Faisalabad, Pakistan. He received BE degree in electrical engineering from University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan in 2005. In 2008, he was awarded master's degree in radio frequency telecommunications and microelectronics (TRFM) from the University of Nice, Sophia Antipolis, France. During his PhD, his research was focused on “Electromagnetic Modeling, Design and Implementation of Printed Electronically Reconfigurable Reflect array Antenna Systems for LEO Satellites”. This research was carried out under European Space Agency (ESA), Thales Alenia Space, and French Research Agency. He received doctorate degree in September 2011 from National Polytechnique Institute of Toulouse (INPT), University of Toulouse, France. His PhD thesis was nominated for Best Thesis Prize for the year 2011 at National Polytechnique Institute of Toulouse, France. Currently he is an assistant professor in Research Institute for Microwave and Millimeter-wave Studies (RIMMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan.

E-mail: [email protected]

S. Bashir

S. Bashir received the BSc degree in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (UET Peshawar), Peshawar, Pakistan, and the PhD degree in mobile communications from Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, U.K. in 2009. He is an assistant professor with the Electrical Engineering Department, UET Peshawar, where he is also member of Centre of Intelligent Systems and Networks Research (CISNR). He has published in various reputed journals and conferences. His main interest is in the fields of wearable antennas, specific absorption rate (SAR) analysis and reduction techniques, electromagnetic bandgap materials and applications, reconfigurable and miniaturized printed antennas.

E-mail: [email protected]