TITLE:
RF MEMS Based Reconfigurable Rectangular Slotted Self Similar Antenna
AUTHORS:
S. Anand, J. Josephine Pon Gloria
KEYWORDS:
Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna, Radio Frequency Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, High Impedance Structure, Self Similar Structures
JOURNAL NAME:
Circuits and Systems,
Vol.7 No.6,
May
17,
2016
ABSTRACT: Wireless communication
systems which require flexibility and reconfigurability in antenna systems
faces main problems like antenna performance, size, weight and cost. A wide
band Frequency Reconfigurable Rectangular Slotted Self Similar Antenna has been
proposed in this paper. The rectangular slotted patch is repeated for two
iterations at different scales and is separated by means of Radio Frequency
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (RF MEMS) switches in order to provide
reconfigurability. The antenna can operate in three frequency bandsi.e.K-band, Ku-band and Ka-band by
altering the states of RF MEMS switches. To avoid fringing effects and to
improve antenna performance, quarter wavelength (λ/4) spacing is
required between the antenna and the ground plane. However, a Reconfigurable
Antenna requires differentλ/4
spacing which is difficult to achieve using a common ground plane. So the
Frequency Reconfigurable antenna is integrated with high impedance surface
(HIS) like Electronic Band Gap (EBG) structures to suppress standing waves and
surface waves with a unified profile thickness of 1.75 mm. The overall
dimension of the proposed antenna along with RF MEMS Switch, feed element and
HIS is about 8 mm × 8 mm × 1.75 mm. The simulated results of the proposed
antenna reveal enhancement in antennas performance like Voltage Standing Wave
Ratio (VSWR), Front to Back Ratio (FBR) and bandwidth when it is placed over
HIS EBG. Also the radiation patterns of the proposed antenna when placed over
EBG shows the suppression of side lobe and backward radiation.