Circularly Polarized Antennas for GNSS Applications

Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is developing rapidly. Modern GNSS technology is facing challenges for researchers to explore. One hot topic is the multi-system GNSS device. The motivation for the antenna designers is to miniaturize the size of the antenna and meanwhile keep its standard performance. It is a challenging task for an antenna array design to achieve a wide bandwidth, high gain, small size, good coverage, and simple fabrication technique all at the same time. This thesis develops several different novel compacts, high gain, and wide bandwidth circularly polarized (CP) antenna capable of providing wide coverage for GNSS frequency bands from 1.16 GHz to 1.6 GHz to cover the GPS L1-L5 bands, GLONASS G1, G2 and G3 as well as the Galileo E5a, E5b, E6, and E1bands

Through Wall Imaging Radar Antenna with a Focus on Opening New Research Avenues

This review paper is an effort to develop insight into the development in antennas for through wall imaging radar application. Review on literature on antennas for use in through wall imaging radar, fulfilling one or more requirements/specifications such as ultrawide bandwidth, stable and high gain, stable unidirectional radiation pattern, wide scanning angle, compactness ensuring portability and facilitating real-time efficient and simple imaging is presented. The review covers variants of Vivaldi, Bow tie, Horn, Spiral, Patch and Magneto-electric dipole antennas demonstrated as suitable antennas for the through wall imaging radar application. With an aim to open new research avenues for making better through wall imaging radar antenna, review on relevant compressive reflector antennas, surface integrated waveguide antennas, plasma antennas, metamaterial antennas and single frequency dynamically configurable meta-surface antennas are incorporated. The review paper brings out possibilities of designing an optimum through wall imaging radar antenna and prospects of future research on the antenna to improve radiation pattern and facilitate overall simple and efficient imaging by the through wall imaging radar

Millimeter-Wave Components and Antennas for Spatial and Polarization Diversity using PRGW Technology

The evolution of the wireless communication systems to the future generation is accompanied by a huge improvement in the system performance through providing a high data rate with low latency. These systems require access to millimeter wave (mmWave) bands, which offer several advantages such as physically smaller components and much wider bandwidthcomparedtomicrowavefrequencies. However, mmWavecomponentsstillneed a significant improvement to follow the rapid variations in future technologies. Although mmWave frequencies can carry more data, they are limited in terms of their penetration capabilities and their coverage range. Moreover, these frequencies avoid deploying traditional guiding technologies such as microstrip lines due to high radiation and material losses. Hence, utilizing new guiding structure techniques such as Printed Ridge Gap Waveguide (PRGW) is essential in future mmWave systems implementation. ThemainpurposeofthisthesisistodesignmmWavecomponents,antennasubsystems and utilize both in beam switching systems. The major mmWave components addressed in this thesis are hybrid coupler, crossover, and differential power divider where the host guidingstructureisthePRGW.Inaddition,variousdesignsfordifferentialfeedingPRGW antennas and antenna arrays are presented featuring wide bandwidth and high gain in mmWave band. Moreover, the integration of both the proposed components and the featured antennas is introduced. This can be considered as a significant step toward the requirements fulfillment of today's advanced communication systems enabling both space and polarization diversity. The proposed components are designed to meet the future ever-increasing consumer experience and technical requirements such as low loss, compact size, and low-cost fabrication. This directed the presented research to have a contribution into three major parts. The first part highlights the feeding structures, where mmWave PRGW directional couplers and differential feeding power divider are designed and validated. These components are among the most important passive elements of microwave circuits used in antennabeam-switchingnetworks. Different3-dBquadraturehybridcouplersandcrossover prototypes are proposed, featured with a compact size and a wide bandwidth beyond 10 % at 30 GHz. In the second part, a beam switching network implemented using hybrid couplers is presented. The proposed beam switching network is a 4 × 4 PRGW Butler matrix that used to feed a Magneto-electric (ME) dipole antenna array. As a result, a 2-D scanning antenna array with a compact size, wide bandwidth, and high radiation efficiency larger than84%isachieved. Furthergainenhancementof5dBiisachievedthroughdeployinga hybridgainenhancementtechniqueincludingAMCmushroomshapesaroundtheantenna array with a dielectric superstrate located in the broadside direction. The proposed scanning antenna array can be considered as a step toward the desired improvement in the data rate and coverage through enabling the space diversity for the communication link. The final activity is related to the development of high-gain wide-band mmWave antenna arrays for potential use in future mmWave applications. The first proposed configuration is a differential feeding circular polarized aperture antenna array implemented with PRGW technology. Differential feeding antenna designs offer more advantages than single- ended antennas for mmWave communications as they are easy to be integrated with differential mmWave monolithic ICs that have high common-mode rejection ratio providing an immunity of the environmental noise. The proposed differential feeding antenna array is designed and fabricated, which featured with a stable high gain and a high radiation efficiency over a wide bandwidth. Another proposed configuration is a dualpolarized ME-dipole PRGW antenna array for mmWave wireless communication. Dual polarizationisconsideredoneofthemostimportantantennasolutionsthatcansavecosts and space for modern communication systems. In addition, it is an effective strategy for multiple-input and multiple-output systems that can reduce the size of multiple antennas systems by utilizing extra orthogonal polarization. The proposed dual- polarized antenna array is designed to achieve a stable gain of 15 ± 1 dBi with low cross- polarization less than -30 dB over a wide frequency range of 20 % at 30 GHz

Development of conformal reconfigurable metamaterial-based antennas

Antennas are vital components of any wireless communication device. There has been a wide demand for novel flexible and reconfigurable wireless devices as a result of the rising user applications. This thesis presents the design of flexible low-cost antennas using metamaterial loadings with performance characteristics that can be reconfigured by employing microfluidics. In applications such as biomedicine, this work presents an inkjet-printed dipole antenna on flexible Kapton-foam substrate to be used on lossy host structures. The concept of Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC) unit cells is investigated for best impedance and gain performance. When integrated with a dipole radiator, the fabricated AMC-backed antenna maintains broadside radiation with gains of up to 4.8 dBi under planar and bending conditions, and on a lossy blood bag. Antenna reconfiguration is then proposed by developing reconfigurable metasurface loadings implementing continuous-flow microfluidics and digital microfluidics. In the latter technique, a frequency reconfigurable AMC is designed using a pixelized approach with liquid metal interconnects. Simulations show that the pixelized design demonstrates switching by electric actuation between 2.45 GHz and 5 GHz depending on the state of the liquid metal interconnects. On the other hand, a multifunctional reconfigurable metasurface based on liquid metal injection (pressure) is presented. The reflective metasurface formed by two switchable microfluidic layers ??? top layer comprising an array of meandered half-rings and the lower layer, straight meander lines - can be reconfigured into four polarization states. The proposed metasurface becomes a reflector with emptied channels, whereas exhibits linear to cross polarization conversion (or linear to circular polarization conversion) properties when the top (or bottom) layer is filled with liquid metal alloy. The experimental results confirm the simulation results over the 8 GHz to 12 GHz test band. The compactness, structural flexibility and multifunctionality of the proposed designs make them suitable candidates for modern integrated antenna array systems

A comprehensive survey on 'circular polarized antennas' for existing and emerging wireless communication technologies

Circular polarized (CP) antennas are well suited for long-distance transmission attainment. In order to be adaptable for beyond 5G communication, a detailed and systematic investigation of their important conventional features is required for expected enhancements. The existing designs employing millimeter wave, microwave, and ultra-wideband (UWB) frequencies form the elementary platform for future studies. The 3.4-3.8 GHz frequency band has been identified as a worthy candidate for 5G communications because of spectrum availability. This band comes under UWB frequencies (3.1-10.6 GHz). In this survey, a review of CP antennas in the selected areas to improve the understanding of early-stage researchers specially experienced antenna designers has presented for the first time as best of our knowledge. Design implementations involving size, axial ratio, efficiency, and gain improvements are covered in detail. Besides that, various design approaches to realize CP antennas including (a) printed CP antennas based on parasitic or slotted elements, (b) dielectric resonator CP antennas, (c) reconfigurable CP antennas, (d) substrate integrated waveguide CP antennas, (e) fractal CP antennas, (f) hybrid techniques CP antennas, and (g) 3D printing CP antennas with single and multiple feeding structures have investigated and analyzed. The aim of this work is to provide necessary guidance for the selection of CP antenna geometries in terms of the required dimensions, available bandwidth, gain, and useful materials for the integration and realization in future communication systems

Reconfigurable Reflectarrays and Array Lenses for Dynamic Antenna Beam Control: A Review

Advances in reflectarrays and array lenses with electronic beam-forming capabilities are enabling a host of new possibilities for these high-performance, low-cost antenna architectures. This paper reviews enabling technologies and topologies of reconfigurable reflectarray and array lens designs, and surveys a range of experimental implementations and achievements that have been made in this area in recent years. The paper describes the fundamental design approaches employed in realizing reconfigurable designs, and explores advanced capabilities of these nascent architectures, such as multi-band operation, polarization manipulation, frequency agility, and amplification. Finally, the paper concludes by discussing future challenges and possibilities for these antennas.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure

Wide Band Embedded Slot Antennas for Biomedical, Harsh Environment, and Rescue Applications

For many designers, embedded antenna design is a very challenging task when designing embedded systems. Designing Antennas to given set of specifications is typically tailored to efficiently radiate the energy to free space with a certain radiation pattern and operating frequency range, but its design becomes even harder when embedded in multi-layer environment, being conformal to a surface, or matched to a wide range of loads (environments). In an effort to clarify the design process, we took a closer look at the key considerations for designing an embedded antenna. The design could be geared towards wireless/mobile platforms, wearable antennas, or body area network. Our group at UT has been involved in developing portable and embedded systems for multi-band operation for cell phones or laptops. The design of these antennas addressed single band/narrowband to multiband/wideband operation and provided over 7 bands within the cellular bands (850 MHz to 2 GHz). Typically the challenge is: many applications require ultra wide band operation, or operate at low frequency. Low frequency operation is very challenging if size is a constraint, and there is a need for demonstrating positive antenna gain

Reconfigurable Antennas

In this new book, we present a collection of the advanced developments in reconfigurable antennas and metasurfaces. It begins with a review of reconfigurability technologies, and proceeds to the presentation of a series of reconfigurable antennas, UWB MIMO antennas and reconfigurable arrays. Then, reconfigurable metasurfaces are introduced and the latest advances are presented and discussed