A Conformal Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna with Multiband and Wideband Characteristics

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Electromagnetics
• Antenna Design

Background:

• Modern portable and flexible devices require compact antennas capable of operating across multiple frequency bands.
• Existing antenna solutions often struggle to balance flexibility, wide bandwidth, and multi-frequency operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel compact, flexible, multi-frequency antenna design.
• To achieve wide operational bandwidth and frequency reconfigurability for enhanced device functionality.

Main Methods:

• A coplanar waveguide-fed slotted circular patch antenna with a rectangular secondary resonator (stub) was designed.
• A p-i-n diode was integrated into a rectangular slot on the patch for frequency reconfigurability.
• The antenna was fabricated on a thin, low-loss substrate to ensure flexibility.

Main Results:

• The antenna demonstrated ultra-wideband (UWB) operation from 2.76 to 8.21 GHz in the ON state.
• In the OFF state, the antenna achieved reconfigurable operation in the ISM (2.45/5.8 GHz), WLAN (5.2 GHz), and lower X-band (8 GHz).
• The antenna maintained performance under various bending conditions, with gains ranging from 2.49 to 5.8 dBi.

Conclusions:

• The proposed antenna is suitable for miniaturized wireless devices requiring multi-band and flexible operation.
• The design offers a versatile solution for wearables, health sensors, and mobile devices.
• The integration of a p-i-n diode provides effective frequency reconfigurability and bandwidth enhancement.