Cost-Effective Design of Polarization and Bandwidth Reconfigurable Millimeter-Wave Loop Antenna.

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Antenna Theory
• Wireless Communication

Background:

• Millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication systems require advanced antenna solutions for high-bandwidth applications.
• Reconfigurable antennas are crucial for adapting to dynamic channel conditions and diverse communication needs.
• Existing antenna designs often face limitations in polarization flexibility and bandwidth control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a singly fed reconfigurable circular loop antenna for mmWave systems.
• To demonstrate the antenna's ability to switch between different polarization states (RHCP, LHCP, LP) and bandwidths.
• To validate the design's performance through simulations and measurements.

Main Methods:

• Integration of two PIN diodes to control polarization and bandwidth.
• Utilization of a single DC bias network as an RF choke for simplified design and reduced losses.
• Employing a planar biasing network with coplanar strip-lines (CPS) to eliminate lumped elements.

Main Results:

• Achieved three distinct operating modes: wide-band RHCP, wide-band LHCP, and dual narrow-band LP.
• Demonstrated RHCP/LHCP operation at 28 GHz with 12.9% impedance bandwidth and 8% axial ratio bandwidth, and a gain of 7.5 dBic.
• Obtained LP operation at 27 GHz and 29 GHz with a maximum gain of 7.2 dBic.
• Simulated results showed close agreement with measured outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The proposed antenna design offers versatile polarization and bandwidth reconfigurability for mmWave applications.
• The planar and simplified configuration, utilizing PIN diodes and CPS, ensures efficient and robust performance.
• The validated design provides a valuable solution for next-generation wireless communication systems.