MODELING AND SIMULATION OF FREQUENCY RECONFIGURABLE

MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA FOR WIMAX APPLICATIONS

A project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the award of the degree of

MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY

In

ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

With the specialization of

RADAR AND MICROWAVE ENGINEERING

by

KASI SIREESHA

(Regd.No: 319206523003)

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

Andhra University College of Engineering (A)

Visakhapatnam-530003

2019-2021

0
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratitude of Prof. P. Rajesh Kumar, Head of the

Department, Department of ECE, Andhra University College of Engineering
(A), Visakhapatnam, for providing an initiative to this project and giving
valuable and timely suggestions for the project work.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my company project guide, Mr.

B Venkata Ramana, Scientist-C, SAMEER CE-3 for his exceptional
professional guidance and invaluable academic support, regular encouragement,
and motivation during this project.

I am very grateful to Dr. B Subbarao, Scientist-F, Programme Director,

SAMEER CE-3, Visakhapatnam, for allowing me to carry my M. Tech Project
in his esteemed organization, SAMEER- Centre for Electromagnetic
Environmental Effects.

I express my sincere thanks to Prof. P. V. Sridevi, Chairman, Board of Studies,

Department of ECE, Andhra University College of Engineering (A),
Visakhapatnam, for her co-operation and encouragement on this project.

I also express my sincere thanks to the entire faculty members Prof. G.

Sasibhushana Rao, Prof. P. Mallikarjuna Rao, Prof. M. S. Anuradha, Dr.
S. Aruna and Teaching and Non-Teaching staff in our department for their
co-operation and encouragement on this project.

Regards,
KASI SIREESHA
(Regd. No: 319206523003)

1
 Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering

Andhra University College of Engineering (Autonomous)

Andhra University, Visakhapatnam-530003

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled ‘’ MODELING AND SIMULATION OF
FREQUENCY RECONFIGURABLE MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA FOR
WIMAX APPLICATIONS “ is a bonafide record of work done by KASI SIREESHA with
Regd.No.319206523003, under our supervision and submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Technology in Radar and
Microwave Engineering in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering,
Andhra University College of Engineering (A), Visakhapatnam during the academic year
2019-2021.

External Guide
PROJECT GUIDE AND Dr. B Subbarao
HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT
Scientist - F,
PROF. P RAJESH KUMAR
Programme Director,
DEPARTMENT OF ECE
ANDHRA UNIVERSITY, VISAKHAPATNAM SAMEER-CE3, Visakhapatnam

2
 PROJECT CERTIFICATE
TO WHOMSOVER IT MAY CONCERN

This is to certify that KASI SIREESHA(Reg. No: 319206523003),II year M. Tech,

Radar & Microwave Engineering (ECE) student of Andhra University, College of
Engineering AU, Visakhapatnam has successfully completed the Project titled “ ’
MODELING AND SIMULATION OF FREQUENCY RECONFIGURABLE
MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA FOR WIMAX APPLICATIONS ” in SAMEER-

Centre for Electromagnetic Environmental Effects, Visakhapatnam, during the

academic year 2020-2021 for the partial fulfillment of M.Tech degree in Andhra
University of college of Engineering AU Visakhapatnam.

Dr. B. Subbarao
Scientist – F

Place: Visakhapatnam

Date: 10-11-2021

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 ABSTRACT

In satellite and wireless communications, airborne communications, there

has always been a continuous demand for smaller size, lighter weight antenna
systems that has properties to achieve selectivity in frequency, bandwidth,
polarization and gain. So, in particular, planar designs enjoy all of these features
including smaller size, lower RCS, lower manufacturing cost and surface
conformability. For this purpose , a reconfigurable antenna works at more than
one frequency bandthereby reducing the number of antennas.

In this project, based on the coplanar waveguide fed, a frequency

reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna is designed.The design rules were
proposed to use the flexible Rogers RT/Duroid 5880 as a substrate material with
small size of 30×28.4mm2. The current distribution is modified by using metal pad
as a switch on antenna board. The resonance frequency ismodified under different
switching conditions, making it a frequency antenna that can be reconfigured. CST
Studio suite was used to simulate antenna configuration. This proposed work of
antenna contains VSWR<2 and significant radiation patterns with actual gain over
appropriate frequency bands.

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 CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1
ABSTRACT…………..…………………………………….…………………………………..3

LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………………..6

LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………………….8

CONTENTS …………………………………………………………………………………4

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION TO ANTENNA

THEORY……………………………………………………………………………………10

1.1 ANTENNA RECIPROCITY…………………………………………………...11

1.1.1 RADIATION PATTERN…………………………………………...11
1.1.2 BEAMWIDTH……………………………………………………...12
1.1.3 DIRECTIVITY……………………………………………………...13
1.1.4 GAIN AND ANTENNA EFFICIENCY……………………..……13
1.1.5 S-PARAMETERS (REFLECTION COEFFICIENTS) AND
BANDWIDTH………………………………………………….......13
1.1.6 VSWR……………………………………………………………....14
1.2 IMPEDANCE MATCHING………………………………………………......14
1.3 IMPORTANCE OF IMPEDANCE MATCHING……………………………14

CHAPTER 2: RECONFIGURABLE ANTENNAS…………………………………….....15

2.1 INTRODUCTION TO RECONFIGURABLE ANTENNAS………………….15

2.2 IMPORTANCE OF RECONFIGURABLE ANTENNAS……………………21

2.3 RESEARCH MOTIVATION…………………………………………….........23

2.4 CHALLENGES…………………………………………………………………24

2.5 LITERATURE STUDY OF FREQUENCY RECONFIGURABLE ANTENNA…25

2.6 ORGANIZATIONOF THESIS…………………………………………………..25

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CHAPTER 3: CST SOFTWARE……………………………………………………………..27

3.1 INTRODUCTION TO CST SOFTWARE……………………………………….27

3.1.1 SOLVER DOMAIN…………………………………………………….28

3.2 CREATE A PROJECT IN CST………………………………………………….29

CHAPTER 4: DESIGN OF FREQUENCY RECONFIGURABLE MICROSTRIP PATCH

ANTENNA…………………………………………………………………………………….33

4.1 DESIGN ………………………………………………………………………......33

4.2 DESIGNING RECONFIGURABLE ANTENNA WITH CST…………………33

4.3 MODULATION AND SIMULATION…………………………………………..36

CHAPTER 5: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS…………………………………………….39

5.1 GEOMETRY OF PROPOSED ANTENNA………………………………………39

5.1.1 WHEN BOTH SWITCHES ARE OFF……………………………………..41

5.1.2 WHEN SWITCH S1 ON AND S2 OFF…………………………………….43

5.1.3 WHEN SWITCH S1 OFF AND S2 ON…………………………………......46

5.1.4 WHEN BOTH SWITCHES ARE ON………………………………………..48

5.2 SURFACE CURRENT DISTRIBUTION FOR STATE(1-4)……………………….49

5.3 COMPARISION OF RETURN LOSS BY VARYING RESONATOR

DIMENSIONS………………………………………………………………………………50

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION ……………………….…………………………………..…51

REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………….…..52

6
 LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1 - Radiation Lobes andBeam Widths Of The Radiation Pattern……………………..11
Figure 1.2 Two-Dimensional Power Pattern……………………………………………………12
Figure 2.1 Classification of Reconfigurable Antenna……………………………………………16
Figure3.1 The Version Of CST Studio Suite……………………………………………………28
Figure 3.2 Window To Select Type Of Template………………………………………………..29
Figure 3.3 The Window For Selecting The Type Of Workflow Structure. ……………………..30
Figure 3.4 The Windows For Selected Type Of Solver And To Define Units…………………..31
Figure3.5 Window To Select The Settings That Include Frequency And Field Monitors……..31
Figure 3.6 The Window Showing All The Parameters That We Selected Till Now For THE
Structure …………………………………………………………………………………………32
Figure 3.7 Final Graphical User Interface Of CST Software……………………………………34
Figure4.1 Configuration Of The Antenna(Top View)…………………………………………..36
Figure 4.2 Dimensions Of Ground And Substrate In CST………………………………………37
Figure 4.3 Dimensions Of Loop 1 And Loop2 Of Main Radiator………………………………37
Figure 4.4 Inner Resonator Dimensions As Specified In CST…………………………………..38
Figure4.5 Reconfigurable Antenna In CST……………………………………………………...39
Figure 5.1 Front View Of Proposed Antenna……………………………………………………40
Figure 5.2 Reflection Coefficient And Operating Frequency At 4.77 GHz……………………..40
Figure 5.3 Measured Voltage Standing Wave Ratio…………………………………………….41
Figure 5.4 Farfield Patterns At Operating Frequency A)2GHz B) 8.5 GHz……………………42

Figure 5.5 When Switch S1 On And S2 Off…………………………………………………….42

Figure 5.6a)S -Parameter When S1 Switch ON And S2 Switch S2 OFF…………………….....43

Figure 5.6 B) Voltage Standing Wave Ratio…………………………………………………….43

Figure 5.7 Far Field Patterns At Frequencies A)2 GHz B) 8.5 GHz…………………………….44

Figure 5.8Switch S1 OFF Switch S2 ON………………………………………………………..44

Figure 5.9S -Parameter When S1 Switch OFF And S2 Switch S2 ON………………………….45

FIGURE 5.10 Far Field Patterns At Operating Frequency A) 2 GHz B) 8.5 GHz……………...46

Figure 5.11 A) Switch S1 ON And Switch S2 ON B) S-Parameters…………………………...46

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Figure 5.12 Voltage Standing Wave Ratio………………………………………………………46

Figure 5.13 Far Field Patterns When Both Switches Are ON…………………………………...46

Figure 5.14 Surface Current Distributions For States (1-4). …………………………………….48

A)State 1 B)State 2 C) State 3 D) State 4.

Figure 5.15 Reflection Coefficients Values For Different Widths Of Inner Resonator(Wr)……49

Figure 5.16 Reflection Coefficients Values For Different Radius Of Inner Resonator(R1)…….50

Figure 5.17 Reflection Coefficients Values For Different Widths Of Main Radiator(Wt)……...50

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1 Parameters of the antenna design ……………………………………………………34

Table 5.1 Configuration of switches…………………………………………………………….47

Table 5.2 When width of inner resonator (Wr)=15 and inner radius of cylinder R1=1.5………50

Table 5.3 When width of inner resonator (Wr)=11 and inner radius of cylinder R1=1.0……..50

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 COMPANY OVERVIEW

SAMEER was set up as an autonomous R & D laboratory at Mumbai under the then Department of
Electronics, Government of India with a broad mandate to undertake R & D work in the areas of
Microwave Engineering and Electromagnetic Engineering Technology. It is an offshoot of the special
microwave products unit (SMPU) set up in 1977 at the TATA INSTITUTE OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
(TIFR), Mumbai. SAMEER, Mumbai was setup in 1984.

Centre for Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) of SAMEER, located in Visakhapatnam, was
established in June, 2014. SAMEER-E3 Centre has been pursuing its objective of doing Electromagnetic
Environmental Effects (E3) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation with specialized E3 test
facilities as per MIL STD 461E/F,464 and MIL STD 188-125-1&2. The E3 test facility specializes in a variety
of capabilities, ranging from box level to complete system level testing.

Area of work:

 Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Research & Development

 Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Prediction & Analysis
 Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Design Consultancy services
 Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Compliance Testing

Organization chart:

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO ANTENNA THEORY

Antenna is used to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves in a specific direction.

Some of the antennas are used to transmit and receive signals from all directions. A good
antenna should be efficient for power transmitting and receiving. Also, the resonance frequency
range of an antenna should be desirable. In order to be able to design an antenna with high
functionality, one should know the basic fundamental properties of the antenna which are given
below.

1.1 Antennas reciprocity

Antenna reciprocity is electrical and magnetic properties of the antenna. These properties include
radiation pattern, gain, beam width, bandwidth, antenna efficiency,S-parameters, input
impedance and voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR).

1.1.1 Radiation Pattern

An antenna radiation pattern is defined as ``a mathematical function or graphical representation

properties of the antenna as a function of space coordinates. The radiation pattern is determined
in the far-field region and is represented as a function of the directional 6 coordinates .´´
Radiation pattern is a 2-D or 3-D energy distribution which is plotted in polar graph. Usually,
this radiation pattern is being normalized and also plotted in decibel (dB) unit. Figure 1 shows
the three-dimensional pattern of the radiation field. Major lobe, also known as main beam, is
where the maximum radiation occurs.

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 Figure 1 - Radiation Lobes and Beam widths of the radiation pattern [1].

In some antennas, there are more than two major lobes. Other lobes are called minor
lobes which can be further divided into two parts: side lobes and back lobes. Side lobes are
usually adjacent to the major lobe. Back lobe is opposite to the major lobe and make an angle of
180 degree (θ = 180º). The main goal for good antenna is to reduce the side lobes and increase
the major lobe for better radiation.

1.1.2. Beam width

The beam width is defined as the angular separation between two identical points on opposite
side of the pattern maximum [1]. Mainly two types of beam widths are used:
1) Half Power Beam Width (HPBW),
2) First Null Beam Width (FNBW).

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 Figure 2 - Two-dimensional power pattern [1]

Half Power Beam Width (HPBW) is defined by IEEE as: ``in a plane containing The direction
of the maximum of a beam, the angle between the two directions in which theradiation intensity
is one-half value of the beam´´ [1].
First Null Beam Width (FNBW) is defined as the angular separation betweenthe first null of the
radiation pattern [1].

1.1.3 Directivity

Directivity of an antenna is defined as ‘’the ration of the radiation intensity in a givendirection

from the antenna to the radiation intensity averaged over all directions. The averageradiation
intensity is equal to the total power radiated by the antenna divided by 4π. If thedirection is not
specified, the direction of maximum radiation intensity is implied’’[1].
In simple form, directivity can be represented in mathematical term as
following.

D= =

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Where,
D = directivity
U = radiation intensity
0 = radiation intensity of isotropic source
r= total radiated power (W)

1.1.4Gainand Antenna efficiency

Gain of an antenna is defined as ‘’the ratio of the intensity, in a given direction, to theradiation
intensity that would be obtained if the power accepted by the antenna were radiatedisotropicaly.
The radiation intensity corresponding to the isotropically radiated power is equal
to the power accepted by the antenna divided by 4π’’[1].

Antenna efficiency is defined as the ratio of radiated power over input power.

1.1.5 S-parameters (Reflection Coefficient) and Bandwidth

The most commonly used parameter regarding antenna is S 11 . S11 shows how muchpower is
reflected from the antenna and is known as reflection coefficient or returnloss. If S11 = 0 dB, then
all the power is reflected from the antenna and nothing isradiated. If S11 = -10 dB, this implies
that if 3 dB of power is delivered to the antenna, -7 dB is the reflected power [1].

Another important parameter is bandwidth. Bandwidth describes the rangeof frequencies over
which the antenna can properly radiate or receive energy. Thebandwidth of an antenna is defined
as ’’the range of frequencies within which theperformance of the antenna, with respect to some
characteristics, conforms to a specifiedstandard” [1]. Bandwidth is also defined as the span of
frequencies in which certainparameters of the antenna are inside operational range.

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1.1.6 VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio)

VSWR which stands for Voltage Standing Wave Ratio and also known as Standing Wave Ratio
(SWR). It is defined by the reflection coefficient as how much powerreflected from the antenna.
VSWR is ranging from 1 to ∞ (1 ≤ VSWR ≤ ∞). For the ideal antenna, VSWR is 1.0 which
means no power is reflected from antenna. Antenna with theVSWR between 1.0 and 2.0 is a
high-performance antenna.Reflection coefficient also known as the S11 (scattering parameter)
whichrepresents how much power is reflected from the antenna.

1.2 Impedance Matching

The topic of impedance matching is an important topic of a transmission line and in microwave
communication link. Impedance matching network is taking placedbetween the load impedance
(antenna) and a transmission line (feed point) which inour case is between the antenna and the
feeding line. It should be lossless to avoidpower loss in it. With the help of the matching network
the reflection loss will beeliminated in the transmission line, but still sometimes there will be a
multiplereflection are present and to avoid this multiple reflection, one needs to change thevalue
of the matching networks, which is also known as tuning .

1.3 Importance of impedance matching or tuning

 Maximum power is transmitted when the load impedance is matched withthe line
impedance, and the power loss due to the refection in the feed line isminimized.
 Impedance matching network will improve the single-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the
components like antenna and low-noise amplifier of the system.
 In such antenna arrays the impedance matching network will help to reducethe amplitude
and phase errors.

15
 CHAPTER 2
RECONFIGURABLE ANTENNAS
2.1 Introduction

Communication technology has been growing rapidly andcurrent wireless

communication systems have ability to achievemultifunctional capabilities with a single system
supporting severalapplications with different operating conditions. However, as eachapplication
operates in different frequency band, with differentradiation pattern or different polarization,
such a single systemrequires multiple antennas. This is because historically from systemsstand
point, antenna has been viewed as a static device. Once a Antenna design is finalized, its
operational characteristics remainunchanged. This has driven innovation in antenna
towardsmultifunction capabilities in competence with the contemporarycommunication systems.

Reconfigurable antenna is a remarkable technology that addsnovel features to existing

conventional antennas whose characteristics are fixed and remain unchanged. Reconfigurability
is the ability ofantenna to change its fundamental operating characteristics, to adapt to changing
system requirement and environmental conditions.Reconfigurable antenna, once mounted on a
certain platform can bereconfigured remotely without having to reconstruct the antenna orthe
platform. The first patent on reconfigurable antennas materializedin 1983 by Schaubert [2]. In
1999, the Defence Advanced ResearchProjects Agency (DARPA), with a program in the name
ReconfigurableAperture Program (RECAP), explored reconfigurable antennas andtheir
prospective applications [2].

A conventional antenna can be converted to reconfigurable antenna by reconfiguring its

fundamental characteristics likeoperating frequency, polarization, radiation pattern or any
combination of these characteristics to meet the operation goals ofcurrent communication
systems. They are classified into fourcategories as
 Frequency reconfigurable antennas,
 Polarizationreconfigurable antennas,
 Pattern reconfigurable antennas and
 Compound reconfigurable antennas [3].

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 Figure 2.1 Classification Of Reconfigurable Antenna
(a) Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna

A radiating structure that is capable of changing its operating frequency while

maintaining the radiation pattern and polarization intactis called frequency reconfigurable
antenna. They are also known as tunable antennas and are categorized into two types –
continuous and switched. Continuous frequency reconfigurable antennas allowfor smooth
transitions within operating bands while switched reconfigurable antennas operate at distinct
frequency bands. Bothtypes of antennas share a common principle of operation i.ethe resonant
frequency is varied by changing the electrical length ofsurface current on the patch antenna. In
resonant antennas like microstrip antennas, linear antennas,loop antennas and slot antennas, the
effective electrical length of theantenna mostly determines the operating frequency, bandwidth,
current distribution on the antenna and the radiation pattern.

Frequency reconfiguration can thus be achieved by changing the electrical length without
affecting the polarization and radiation pattern of the antenna. For example, in a microstrip
antenna, the first resonance occurs at a length corresponding to half wavelength. To operate it at
a higher frequency, the antenna should be shortened tothe length corresponding to a half
wavelength at the desired frequency. The radiation pattern and polarization characteristics
remain same as the former, because the current distribution is the same relative to the
wavelength.

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(b) Pattern Reconfigurable Antenna

A radiating structure which can change its radiation pattern iscalled pattern
reconfigurable antenna. In this case, the antennaradiation pattern is altered in terms of shape,
direction or gain. Theradiation characteristics of the antenna are varied by changing thesurface
current distribution. The arrangement of currents, eitherelectric or magnetic, on an antenna
structure directly establishes thespatial distribution of antenna radiation. To develop a
patternreconfigurable antenna, the designer must know both magnitude andphase information of
surface current on the antenna.

(c) Polarization Reconfigurable Antenna

A radiating structure that can change the polarization of theantenna retaining the other
characteristics is called polarization Reconfigurable antenna. In this case, the antenna can switch
itspolarization between any combinations of Vertical Polarization (VP),Horizontal Polarization
(HP), Slant-linear polarization, Right HandCircular Polarization (RHCP) or Left-Hand Circular
Polarization(LHCP). This can be achieved by varying the direction of current flow
on the antenna surface which directly translates to change in thepolarization of the wave in the
far field of the antenna. The antennastructure and/or feed configuration should change to alter the
currentwithout producing significant changes in impedance or frequencycharacteristics.

(d) Compound Reconfigurable Antenna

The antenna with the ability to reconfigure two or moreradiation characteristics such as
operating frequency, bandwidth, radiation pattern or polarization is termed as compound
reconfigurable antenna. The fundamental theory of operation behindany compound
reconfigurable antenna is no different from that of anordinary reconfigurable antenna but, design
and control in this caseare obviously more complex.

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Each of these techniques manipulate the surface current on theantenna in a different way to
achieve desired functionality, by usingvarious reconfiguration mechanisms like electrical
switching, optical witching, physical/mechanical changes and, material changes/smart materials.

(a) Electrically Reconfigurable Antenna

An electrically reconfigurable antenna relies on switching omponents like mechanical

switches or solid state switches such asRadio Frequency Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (RF
MEMs), PINdiodes, or varactors. There are several important characteristics of the switch to be
taken care of, before its inclusion in reconfigurableantenna. They are cost, size, power handling
capability, fabricationcomplexity, switching speed, operating band, insertion loss, power
consumption etc. The easeof integration of solid state switches into the antenna makes
itpreferable to obtain desired reconfiguration functionality. However, some of the disadvantages
of the switches include nonlinearity effects, losses, complexity of bias circuit and spurious
radiations from biasing lines.

(b) Optically Reconfigurable Antenna

It works on the principle that an optical switch is formed when a laser light is incident on
a semiconductor material like silicon orgallium arsenide. This results in exciting electrons from
the valenceband to the conduction band, thus creating a conductive connection.Integrating such a
switch into an antenna structure and using it to reconfigure the antenna behavior results in an
optically reconfigurable antenna. The advantage of this technique is that it does not produce
harmonics and inter modulation distortion due to its linear behavior.Further, non usage of bias
lines eases the problem of biasing effect onantenna performance. The disadvantage of this
technique is that itneeds a laser light and a separate mechanism to activate the opticalswitches
increasing the cost and complexity.
(c) Physically Reconfigurable Antenna
It works on the principle of physically altering the antenna radiating structure. The tuning of the
antenna is achieved by structural modification of antenna radiating parts. This technique depends
on the limitation of the antenna that should be physicallyreconfigured. Advantages of a

19
physically reconfigurable antenna are, they do not require bias lines or any switching
mechanism. It alsodoes not require additional optical fiber integration procedure. Disadvantages
of physically reconfigurable antennas are complex integration of reconfiguring elements into
antenna structure, slowresponse time, increase in size, cost and power requirements.

(d) Reconfigurability due to material change (Smart materials)

Antennas are also made reconfigurable through a change in thesubstrate characteristics by using
materials such as liquid crystals orferrites. The change in the fundamental parameter of the
antenna isachieved by a change in the relative electric permittivity or magneticpermeability. A
liquid crystal is a nonlinear material whose dielectricconstant can be changed under different
voltage levels, by altering theorientation of the liquid crystal molecules. As for a ferrite material,
astatic applied magnetic field can change the relative materialpermeability. This mechanism has
the advantage of achieving smallsize due to high relative permeability. However, it has the
drawback oflow efficiency. The ability of reconfigurable antenna to tune resonances, change
polarization and modify their radiation patterns, made their development crucial in modern
wireless communication systems. Their agility and diversity created new horizons for different
types of applications, especially in cognitive radio, Multiple Input Multiple
Output (MIMO) systems, Satellite communications, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN),
Cognitive Radio, Cellular and Personal Communication Systems, Radar Systems, Ultra-
Wideband Systems, Unmanned Airborne Vehicle (UAV) Radar, Smart Weapon Protection,
Military, Anti-Jamming and Secure Communications.

2.2 Importance of reconfigurable antennas

With the rapid rise of wireless communication systems, the spectrum got more and more
crowded with a consequence of increased interference and shortage of spectrum. The cognitive
radio has revolutionized the spectrum usage efficiency by sensing vacant frequencies and
allocating them for different users. For this, it requires a wideband antenna and a multiband
tunable antenna. The wideband antenna senses the spectrum for vacant slots and once identified,
a multiband antenna with tunable filters is used for transmitting data through vacant slots.

20
Reconfigurable antenna is an appropriate choice if a portion of spectrum is needed at any given
time. The principal advantage of reconfigurable antenna lies in its capability to use single
radiating antenna structure to support several applications which may operate at different
frequencies, polarization and radiation pattern. It provides inherent band pass characteristic with
excellent out of band rejection without the need of any front-end filter circuits. Moreover, the
antenna can be more compact and cost effective.
The Long-Term Evaluation (LTE) standard of mobile communication requires handsets
to cover 24 frequency bands lying between 70 MHz – 2.7 GHz. Huge requirements on multiple
frequency bands limit the use of multiband antennas. The alternative is to use continuously
tunable frequency reconfigurable antennas. A reconfigurable antenna can be a single element or
an array antenna. Single elements used in wireless portable devices like cellphone, laptop or
personal digital assistant may have multi-frequency capabilities, because of power, size and cost
restrictions imposed by portability. Moreover, the antenna performance badly degrades in
unpredictable and adverse EM conditions. If a reconfigurable antenna is used in portable device,
it can tune the antenna and adapt to new environment by filtering out interfering signals. Its
radiation pattern can be changed and redirected towards the access point so as to useless power
for transmission, resulting in significant saving in battery power. The current phased array
technology is typically limited in bandwidth and scan angle as it can change only the array factor
and not the individual element characteristics. Use of reconfigurable antenna elements in the
array provides it an additional freedom to change the fundamental characteristics of the element
in addition to the array factor.
In smart or adaptive antennas, the antennas are not smart. The intelligence lies in signal
processing techniques where signals from each antenna are weighted and combined to form a
beam in desired direction and a null in the undesired direction. However, the elements of
reconfigurable antenna array have the intelligence to reconfigure its structure to change
frequency, pattern or polarization of the array antenna dynamically, to meet the system
requirements and environmentalconditions. Obstacles of current wireless communication system
like limited spectrum availability, limited power, low signal strength and fluctuations are
addressed by MIMO techniques. The challenge inMIMO technology is the array space
occupancy and mutual coupling between the elements. The limitation in space, both at base
station and mobile terminal, can be addressed by reconfigurable antenna technology.

21
 In the last few years, the development of WLAN has become a promising standard and is
of principal interest in the rapidly growing area of modern wireless communication. This allows
the users to move around a broad coverage area and still be in the network connectivity,
providing freedom and flexibility. For example, it can provide access to the network throughout
the enterprise. It demands efficient antennas operating in different wireless bands, with best
performance in transmission and reception and having desirable features like low cost, minimum
weight, low profile and reduced power consumption. WLAN standard uses the frequency bands
2.4 GHz -2.484 GHz, 5.15 GHz - 5.35 GHz and 5.725 GHz - 5.825 GHz. The
challenges and issues in this technology are battery limitations, interoperability problems, inter
symbol interference and fading loss caused in multipath transmission.

All these issues can be addressed by reconfigurable microstrip antenna which plays an
active role in modern wireless communication system applications. Some of the advantages of
reconfigurable antennas are
1) A single reconfigurable antenna has the potential to realize various functionalities
accomplished by several conventional antennas.
2) Significant savings in cost, volume, weight and battery power are achieved.
3) Maintenance and repair of single reconfigurable antenna becomes easy when compared to the
requirements of several conventional antennas.
4) Selectivity in frequency, bandwidth, polarization and gain reduces undesirable effects of co-
site intervention and jamming.
5) Reconfigurable antenna can provide immunity to interfering signals and can increase the
communication link quality.

Addition of reconfigurability feature results in the following disadvantages:

1) The addition of circuits needed to implement the reconfiguration mechanism into antenna
increases the size and complexity of the antenna.
2) Demands inclusion of signal processing, feedback and automation circuitry for the complete
design of reconfigurable antenna.
3) The performance of reconfigurable antenna depends onreconfiguration speed, reliability,
durability issues, actuation requirements, power consumption and device life time.

22
All these disadvantages can be tradeoffs with the principal advantage of reconfigurable antenna
supporting several applications with a single antenna structure.

2.3 Research Motivation

Modern wireless communication system provides multifunctional capabilities operating
with small size, low profile, low cost and high data rates. This has motivated the researchers to
work towards channel modeling, signal processing, coding aspects, transmitter and receiver
design aspects and issues related to antenna design. As the antenna design plays a vital role in
determining the performance of a communication system, there is a need to investigate,
configure and develop new reconfigurable antennas to meet the requirements of contemporary
wireless communication systems. Different types of antennas have been extensively studied to
attain reconfigurability. However, numerous advantages and
applications of microstrip antenna have motivated to design reconfigurable microstrip antennas.
Recently, polarization reconfigurable microstrip antennas have been receiving significant
attention as they can mitigate the fading loss caused by multipath effects in wireless local area
network (WLAN)applications and in mobile communication to improve the performance of
signal reception, allows a single handset to access a great number of services, increase the
security complexity in military wireless systems, increase channel capacity, increase the transmit
rate in a wireless communication system, achieve frequency reuse and double the system
capability in satellite communication systems. In addition, current sensor systems also need a
high degree of polarization control to improve system performance.

2.4Challenges

Reconfigurable antenna development poses significant challenges not only in the antenna
design but also in integrating the antenna into the system to arrive at an efficient and cost
effective solution. Some of the challenges faced by antenna designer are
1) Achieving reconfiguration is a tedious procedure which needs careful analysis and design as it
involves consideration of multiple factors, such as achieving good impedance match, axial ratio
characteristics, gain and symmetric radiation patterns in all the operating states of the antenna.

23
2) In optimizing the antenna for one parameter the other deviates due to the unavoidable linkage
between the fundamental characteristics of the antenna.
3) The performance of initial conceptual design with ideal switch may be lost after implementing
the actual reconfiguration mechanism.
4) Reconfiguring the feeding network and the excitation of individual antenna elements in
reconfigurable antenna arrays as well as biasing different antenna parts at different instants of
time still presents a big challenge.
5) Modeling of reconfigurable antenna array is even more complicated and demands rigorous
full-wave numerical techniques and huge computational resources compared to single element
reconfigurable antenna.
6) Reducing the redundancy and achieving reliability of the design is also a challenging task.

2.5 Literature Study of Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna

The proposed design generally helps in multiband applications. The wide spread of new
wireless technology and consumer demands for multiple services on a single device gained a lot
of exposure from an antenna running on several frequency strips . A frequency band is usually
linked to a specific wireless service, which implies a multi-band antenna is needed in a single
wireless device to support multiple networks . It can run several band antennas with a strong gain
and stable radiation pattern on different frequency bands.
In addition to the target level, however, multiband antennas concurrently relay
electromagnetic waves to all approved frequencies. In fact, the cellular equipment requires
electromagnetic radiation. Frequency endurance can be accomplished by various switch sort,
such as varactor diodes, pin diodes, RF MEMS and FET . Varactor diodes in are used to
reconfigure varactor diodes, but varactor diodes are nonlinear and have small continuous tuning
range . Switching between several bands calls for a large number of pin diodes which increase
insertion loss and render the distortion circuit complicating . RF MEMS has a small loss, but is
costly to deploy . Three pin diodes for LTE, AMT fixed services and WLAN applications are
used in U-shaped and L-shaped slots . It recommends an airborne radio frequency antenna, AMT
Set, WLAN, unlicensed WiMAX and X-band systems, which can be reconfigured at any time .
By using switches that provide broad tuning of the operating bands, the productive electrical

24
duration of the antenna is modified. The findings calculated and assessed are well known. The
antenna fits well on the target bands and has strong radiation patterns. Simplicity, compactness,
configurability and versatility render it a popular wireless technology choice .
2.6 Organization of Thesis
The objectives of the research work are organized into six chapters in the thesis

CHAPTER 1 This chapter gives introduction to antenna theory including the parameters used
for the analysis of the performance of the antennas.

CHAPTER 2 This chapter gives the brief introduction and history of reconfigurable antennas,
different types of reconfigurable techniques. This chapter also includes advantages and
disadvantages of the reconfigurable antenna.

CHAPTER 3 This chapter gives the details about computer simulation tool(CST) software .
This chapter also includes the installation steps and usage procedure to simulate the model and
how to analyze the various parameters.

CHAPTER 4This chapter contains the detailed step-by-step procedure of the frequency
reconfigurable antenna using the CST software .

CHAPTER 5 This chapter includes the results of the simulation model.

CHAPTER 6 contains the conclusion for the modeling and simulation of frequency
reconfigurable antenna.

25
 CHAPTER 3

INTRODUCTION TO CST SOFTWARE

3.1 Introduction to CST Microwave Studio

CST –CST Microwave studio is a tool used for simulating 3D structures at a high frequency
devices such as antennas, filters, couplers, planar and multi-layer structures and we can choose
the most appropriate method for the design and optimization of devices operating in a wide range
of frequencies. Antennas are used in a vast variety of applications, and thus they come in a vast
variety of form factors and radiation mechanisms. There are a wide range of simulation methods
available in CST MWS which can be determined depending upon the application. Microwave,
RF & Optical is the template used for antenna simulation, wherein there is specific template for
patch antennas. It is important to define the preliminary settings before defining the model, in
general the units are length in mm, frequency in Ghz, and time in seconds or Nano-seconds.
Other units such as resistance (Ohm), Voltage (V), Conductance (S) etc., are predefined by the
software.

The frequency of study and the monitors can be provided before starting the simulation
they can also be re-defined subsequently. The frequency is S-band (0 – 5 Ghz), background
material properties will typically be vacuum for antenna analysis, also important when
simulating the antenna in space environment. In order to simulate in realistic environment the
boundary conditions have to be defined carefully. There are two types of port to provide feed to
the patch antenna, a) Discrete port b) Waveguide port. Discrete port are similar to plane waves,
as they do not require a real physical boundary or structure to support the feed. If the required
parameters such as polarization, frequency and direction are given to the software, it will create a
port at a desired point in space. On the other hand, a waveguide port is a real port constructed
with boundaries. The electromagnetic distribution and the EM waves transmitted from the port
are determined by the boundaries and the dimensions of the waveguide port. From the view point
of experimental measurements, the boundaries of the waveguide port correspond to the cross
section of the real physical structure of your excitation source .

26
 Once you have set the boundaries and choose the waveguide port item, the
Electromagnetic field distribution on the port will be automatically calculated by the software
and the calculated EM field will work as the source of the simulation.

3.1.1 Solver Domain

CST Microwave studio offers multiple powerful solver modules, additionally providing
the remarkable time domain solver in its market featuring perfect boundary approximation. CST
also comprises of various different modules such as finite element method, method of moments
and multipole method each offering its unique advantages depending upon the characteristic of
the part which is simulated.The 3D electromagnetic simulation approach provides numerous
different integration of solvers enabling the user to choose the most appropriate solver for a
given problem class. For testing a Microstrip patch antenna the most appropriate solver domain
are:
I) Frequency domain solver
II) Transient solver

Frequency domain solver:

A frequency domain solver is quite similar to a transient solver as a general-purpose tool

to evaluate the S-parameter, Z-matrix and near far field results. However, they are more efficient
in the case of running the solver for small electrical structures or devices with a higher Q -value
(Q factor) .
Q-factor is the ratio (dimensionless parameter) used to describe the vibration of a
resonators bandwidth relative to its origin of resonance (center) the higher the ratio of the Q
value the lesser the rate of energy loss with respect to the stored energy of the oscillator. In
general the resonators having a high Q-factor corresponds to having a very low damping.
One unique feature of using a Frequency domain solver is that it can be directly switched from
Cartesian meshing to tetrahedral mesh which allows you to have a true surface mesh with
segmented representation of surfaces with high curvatures increasing the accuracy and speed.

27
For both automatic mesh and adaptation mesh types the frequency solver provides an inbuilt
adaptive frequency sweep which can be useful to simulate multiple operations in a single
simulation. The frequency solver provides both direct (preferable for smaller size tetrahedrons)
and indirect linear equation solver systems.

Transient solver:

Transient solver also called Time domain solver is a general-purpose solver used to study
field propagation through PCBs as well as for a wide range of Electromagnetic applications. It
also delivers results similar to frequency domain such as the S-parameter, Z-matrix, antenna
efficiency etc. Using parameter sweep we can perform multiple simulation at the same time,
results of different frequencies can be determined from a single simulation.

The transient solver could be best for wideband or planar antennas, the frequency domain
solver may be more suitable for electrically small antennas, while the integral equation solver
can efficiently simulate electrically large or wire antennas.

Although both solvers provide nearly the same results the transient solver is based on the
Maxwell’s equation, transient solver is the most powerful solver in CST because it takes lesser
memory to compute, and it is much faster compared to frequency domain in terms of simulation
time. The speed and memory requirement might change depending upon the complexity of the
structure. In this case we use the transient solver because it is simple and less time consuming.

CST MICROWAVE STUDIO® (CST MWS) is a specialist tool for the 3D EM simulation of
high frequency components. CST MWS enables the fast and accurate analysis of high frequency
(HF) devices such as antennas, filters, couplers, planar and multi-layer structures and SI and
EMC effects.

The CST STUDIO SUITE package comprises different modules, those are

1. CST MICROWAVE STUDIO (CST MWS) is the leading-edge tool for the fast Domain
simulation. It enables the fast and accurate analysis of antennas, filters, couplers, planar and
multi- layer structures and SI and EMC

28
2. CST EM STUDIO (CST EMS) is an easy-to-use tool for the design and analysis of static and
low frequency EM applications such as motors, sensors, actuators, transformers, and shielding
enclosures

3. CST PARTICLE STUDIO (CST PS) has been developed for the fully consistent Simulation of
free moving charged particles. Applications include electron guns, cathode ray tubes,
magnetrons, and wake fields.

4. CST CABLE STUDIO (CST CS) for the simulation of signal integrity and EMC/EMI analysis
of cable harnesses.

5. CST PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD STUDIO (CST PCBS) for the simulation of signal
integrity and EMC/EMI EMI on printed circuit boards.

6. CST MPHYSICS STUDIO (CST MPS) for thermal and mechanical stress analysis.

7. CST DESIGN STUDIO (CST DS) is a versatile tool that facilitates 3D EM/circuit co-
simulation and synthesis.

3.2 CREATING A NEW PROJECT

STEP 1:- After staring the CST studio suite, you will be asked to select a template for the
structure which is closet to your device of interest, but you can also start from scratch by opening
an empty project. I

29
 Figure3.1 The version of CST studio suite.

STEP 2:- In the create project template , select the desired application, consistingvarious
template include microwave &optics which is used for designing microwave components and
antennas. And then select Antennas and click Next as shown in figure below.

Figure 3.2 window to select type of template

30
STEP 3:- now, select the proper workflow model for the structure . As Shown in the figure
below, we opted a Planar(patch,slot,etc) and click NEXT.

Figure 3.3 The window for selecting the type of workflow structure.

STEP 4:- Define the type of solver for the selected workflow design and click  Next and apop
window will appear to define units .

Figure 3.4 The windows for selected type of solver and to define units.
STEP 5:- Now select the maximum and minimum frequency and the parameters that we want
to analyse.

31
 Figure3.5 window to select the settings that include frequency and field monitors.
STEP 6:- Now check all the parameters that we selected for the structure and gave an name to
the structure in the template name option. Then click Finish. The new project window we
open where we can design over structure.

Figure 3.6 The window showing all the parameters that we selected till now for the structure .

32
Figure 3.7 Final Graphical User Interface of CST software.

33
 CHAPTER 4
MODELING OF FREQUENCY RECONFIGURABLE
MICROSTRIP ANTENNA
4.1 MODEL
Here is a simplified Reconfigurable Microstrip antenna design with Computer simulation
software (CST) studio suite. There are few basic things that must be known before designing an
antenna in general such
as:
1) The frequency range in which the antenna is planned to be be propagating,
2) The size of the antenna,
3) The material,
4) The gain of the antenna and the structure of the antenna

4.2 Reconfigurable Microstrip Antenna Model with CST

We will attempt to design a frequency reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna with the
following characteristic:
Resonant frequency :- 2-11 GHz.
Transmission line impedance : 50 Ohm.
The dielectric constant of the substrate : ξr = 1.2 (Rogers RT/Duroid 5880)
Thickness of dielectric substrate (h) :0.508mm
Relative Permittivity :2.2 and
Relative Permeability :1
The figure 4.1 shows the top view of the structure of reconfigurable antenna.
Thereconfigurable antenna has a dimensions of 30.3 mm × 28.6mm and has an impedance of 50
ohms. The material used for patch is copper(annealed)and the material for substrate is Rogers RT
5880(lossy).

34
 Figure4.1 Configuration of the antenna.(Top view)

Dimensions Units(mm) Dimensions Units(mm)

W 28.44 L 30.3
Wg 13.45 Lg 14.642
Wr 11 Lr 3.0
Wt 5.2 Lm 7.5
G 0.25 F 1.0
R1 1.5 R2 2.5
Table4.1 : Paramters of the antenna design

35
Dimensions defined in the top view are
W: width of the ground plane
Wg: width of the path
Lg: Width of the patch
L: length of the ground plane
R1: radius of inner circle
Wt: width between radiator and patch
Lm: length of main radiator
Lr: length of inner radiator
Wr: width of inner radiator
G: gap between feedline and patch
R2 : radius of outer circle
F: width of feedline

In order to determine the width and length of the transmission line, the following formula is
used:

Where

The characteristic impedance Zo is a function of the ratio W/H and

36
Since the value of the Zo is proportional to the W/H, we can alternatively change W and H and
keep the value of Zo more or less constant. This is made for the sake of finding a value that will
allow the transmission line to match our other dimensions. Using the following table, we observe
that we have a choice between several W and H while keeping the Zo almost constant.

4.3 Modulation in CST

For our simulations the software package used to perform the correspondent simulations was
CST Microwave Studio which is a very useful software that calculates accurately the resonant
frequencies of structures, as well as radiation patterns, efficiencies and surface current
distributions. We began the simulation process by reproducing the antenna system from starting
with a Rogers RT 5880(lossy)substrate measuring 30.33 × 28.66 mm2 , then using a copper
ground plane over the substrate and creating both sets of slots A and B of dimensions
13.66×14.642mm2 as shown in figure 4.2.

Figure 4.2 Dimensions of ground and substrate in CST.

The feed line was designed using coplanar waveguide feed technique having a width of 1mm.
The main radiator of dimensions 16.2×7.3 mm was designed which is designed by combining
two loops 1 and 2 of dimensions as specified in figure 4.3.

37
 Figure 4.3 Dimensions of loop 1 and loop2 of main radiator.

Outer radiator was designed by using the transform method of inner radiator which is designed
using a rectangle and cylinder dimensions showed in figure 4.4. The cylinder was subtracted
from the rectangle to form a inner radiator of prescribed structure.

Figure 4.4 Inner resonator dimensions as specified in CST.

38
 The rectangle is introduced inside and outside the main radiator to acquire more
resonance frequencies. The arc-shaped slots are introduced in appropriate locations in the inner
and outer rectangle to obtain the desired band. The width of slot controls the current intensity
and minimizes the return loss. The final designed structure of proposed reconfigurable antenna
was shown in figure 4.5.

Figure4.5 Reconfigurable antenna in CST

39
 CHAPTER 5
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
5.1 PROPOSED ANTENNA GEOMETRY
The proposed antenna geometry is shown in figure 5.1 front view. Two rectangular resonator
patches are used as radiating elements . The substrate used is Rogers RT/Duroid 5880(lossy) with
dielectric constant of 1.2 , height 0.508 mm and loss tangent 0.0018.After simulating the
reconfigurable antenna in computer simulation software CST , the simulation results was
presented .

Figure 5.1 Front view of proposed antenna

5.1.1 When switches are off:
Here coming to the process of modeling. Now the two switches are involved in current transfer.
The two switches S1 and S2 play a major role.These switches are placed between main radiator
in connection with inner and outer radiator respectively. The CPW feeding line is attached to the
central heater with a diameter of 1 mm. For Switch S1 and S2 the interior and exterior heaters
are connected with the central heaters. First of all, it is designed to feed CPW rectangular
antenna with a single 4.8 GHz channel. Within and around the central radiator, the triangle is
added to achieve additional reflection frequencies whose results are shown at figure 5.2.

40
The reflection coefficients are measured in terms of s-parameters for the proposed antenna was
measured as -25.33db and operating at a frequency of 4.77 Ghz has aeronautical radio
applications.

Figure 5.2 Reflection coefficient and operating frequency at 4.77 GHz.

The Voltage standing wave ratio was observed to be 1.11 which is in desired range of VSWR <2
and the results are shown in figure 5.3 .

Figure 5.3 Measured Voltage standing Wave Ratio

Figure 5.4 shows the far field patterns at frequencies of 2 GHz ,8.5 GHz are measured
and Polar plot and three dimensional far fields patterns are compared at these frequencies with
respect to directivity. Polar plot consist of E- plane and H-plane[9].
The figure 5.4(a) shows the radiation pattern at its resonant frequency of 4.77Ghz .From
the plot we can observe that the main lobe magnitude i.e. the magnitude of maximum radiation
as 1.34 dBi with main lobe direction or direction of maximum radiation as 180.0 degrees and

41
angular width or half power beamwidth of 97.4 degrees. Figure 5.4(b) shows the polar and far
field plots at resonant frequency of 6.5Ghz and from the observations the main lobe magnitude is
0.351 dBi and the maximum magnitude direction to be in 1.0 degrees and the half power beam
width as 64.4.3 degrees .

a) b)

Figure 5.4 Far field patterns at operating frequency a)2GHz b) 8.5 GHz

5.1.2 When switch S1 on and S2 off:

Here the switch S1 is on and S2 is put off so that current circulates through the inner resonator
respectively .this is shown in figure below 5.5

Figure 5.5 when switch S1 on and S2 off

The designed model radiates at a frequency of 4.01 GHz and the return loss is observed to be at -15.9dB
as shown in figure 5.6 a).

42
 Figure 5.6a)S -parameter when s1 switch ON and s2 switch S2 OFF

Figure 5.6 b) Voltage Standing Wave Ratio

The voltage standing wave ratio, and Farfield patterns at 2 GHz and 8.5 GHz are shown in figure
5.7 stating that main lobe magnitude is 1.87 dBi and 0.983 dBi at 2 GHz and 8.5 GHz
respectively[8].

43
 Figure 5.7 Far field patterns at frequencies a)2 GHz b) 8.5 GHz

5.1.3 When switch S1 0ff and S2 on:

Here the switch S1 is off and S2 is put on so that current circulates through the outer resonator
respectively radiating at frequency of 3.5GHz and 6.4 GHz with return loss values as -40.8dB
and -15.7 dB as shown in figure below 5.8 and 5.9.

Figure 5.8Switch S1 OFF Switch s2 ON

44
 Figure 5.9S -parameter when s1 switch OFF and s2 switch S2 ON

FIGURE 5.10 Far field patterns at operating frequency a) 2 GHz b) 8.5 GHz

5.1.4 When both switches are ON:

Here , now switches are fixed and put ON. Here when both the switches are kept ON the antenna
radiates at certain frequency of 3.384GHZ respectively. Now the current circulates at main
radiator only. This can be observed below. Now the antenna radiates at 6.302GHZ and 3.4496
GHZ respectively. Here the parameter results show that antenna radiates in multiband manner
that is at two points. The s-parameter results are shown below.

45
 a)

By observing the far field patterns the main lobe magnitude at 2 GHz is measured as 1.78dB
and at 8.5 GHz is 0.686dBi respectively with half power beamwidth as 95.4 degrees and 53.9
degrees respectively.

b)

Figure 5.11 A) Switch S1 ON And Switch S2 ON B) S-Parameters

46
 Figure 5.12 Voltage Standing Wave Ratio

Figure 5.13 Far Field Patterns When Both Switches Are ON

5.2 Surface Current Distribution for States(1-4):

The description of states (1 to 4) in terms of the position of the two switches is described in
Table 5.1. The status of the switch, i.e. whether the switch is On/off actually defines the
electrical length of the antenna structure that contributes for radiating a particular frequency
band. S1 and S2 are the switches that are implemented using conductor/conducting wires
between two conductors to provide the path. Although diodes can be used to provide the path,
but this conductor is used because of limitations. When both S1 & S2 are shorted

47
simultaneously, the current circulates in the main radiator as well as in the inner and outer
radiator. When both S1 and S2 are open, the current circulates only in the main radiator.

STATE SWITCH S1 SWITCH S2 FREQUENCY(GHz) Reflection BANDWIDTH(Hz)

coefficient S11 (dB)

1 OFF OFF 4.77 -26.6 749

2 OFF ON 4.07 AND 7.67 -25.3 AND -16.7 780 AND 535

3 ON OFF 4.01 -15.93 677

4 ON ON 3.985 AND 7.57 -37.7 and -10.5 490

Table 5.1 Configuration Of Switches.

The simulated surface current distribution of the proposed antenna at various frequencies under
different states of switches is shown in Fig. 5.14 (a-e). Figure 5.14(a) suggests that inner radiator
radiates due to coupling with surrounding walls of the main radiator. The main radiator is
contributing to radiate. In this case, the current follows the shorter path, hence antenna resonates
at a low frequency of 4.77 GHz with an impedance bandwidth of 749 MHz (4.47–5.53 GHz) that
covers 4.3 GHz Aeronautical Radio Navigation. It is noticed that from figure 5.14 (b) in state 2
the antenna covers the frequency range of (4.07– 7.67 GHz) with an impedance bandwidth of
780 MHz that covers 5.2 GHz WLAN. The impedance bandwidth in state 3 is 677 MHz (4.34-
5.01GHz) that is sufficient for the standard of 4.5 GHz AMT Fixed Services as shown in figure
5.14(c). In state 4, as in figure 5.14(d), the main radiator along with inner and outer radiate is
contributing to the radiation, hence, current follows the longer path so, resonance at dual band of
3.985Gz and 7.57 GHz with a very wide bandwidth of 490 GHz (3.7-5.2GHz) is achieved. It
covers 5.5 GHz WLAN and 5.8 GHz unlicensed WiMAX. As mentioned earlier that single
rectangular antenna operates at 4.8 GHz. Therefore, the shift in frequency from 4.01 GHz to 7.67
GHz is due to the presence of strong coupling that exists in the gap between the main radiator,
arc-shaped radiators as well as around the switches.

48
 a) b)

c) d)

Figure 5.14 Surface Current Distributions For States (1-4).

A)State 1 B)State 2 C) State 3 D) State 4

5.3Comparison of Return Loss By Varying Resonator Dimensions :

The proposed antenna model of frequency reconfigurable antenna is further modified by varying
the width and radius of inner and outer radiator. The comparison of reflection coefficient for
these states is depicted in following figures and their results are tableted for analysis. By
observing the figure 5.15 a) It was observed that the antenna is resonating in the frequency band
range of 4.05GHz-6.97 GHz which used for WiMAX applications (2.4 GHz, 5.5GHz band)

49
 Figure 5.15 Reflection Coefficients Values for Different Widths Of Inner Resonator(Wr)

The figure 5.16 depicts the frequency band obtained by varying the radius (R1) of resonator. It
was observed that by varying the inner radius of the resonator ,there will bebandwidth
improvement of 835 GHz and the antenna is operating at fixed frequency of 4.88GHz.

Figure 5.16 Reflection Coefficients Values for Different Radius of Inner Resonator(R1)

The reflection coefficient S11 Vs frequency values obtained by varying the width of main
radiator is depicted in figure 5.17. from the plot, the antenna is resonating over the frequency
range of 4.8Ghz to 7.67 GHz which covers the 5.5 GHz band for WiMax applications.

50
 Figure 5.17 Reflection Coefficients Values for Different widths of main radiator(Wt)

Table 5.2 When width of inner resonator (Wr)=15 and inner radius of
cylinder R1=1.5:

SWITCH S1 SWITCH S2 FREQUENCY S11 BANDWIDTH(Hz)

OFF OFF 4.22 -18.88 730

OFF ON 3.59 AND 6.4 -40.2 AND -15.73 501 AND 370

ON OFF 4.0163 -15.96 823

ON ON 3.40 AND 6.30 -25.5 AND -22.11 644 AND 626

Table 5.3 When width of inner resonator (Wr)=11 and inner radius of
cylinder R1=1.0:
SWITCH S1 SWITCH S2 FREQUENCY S11 BANDWIDTH(Hz)
OFF OFF 4.89 -26.71 881
OFF ON 3.52 and 6.41 -40.9 and -15.1 420 and 302
ON OFF 4.106 -17.1 657
ON ON 3.48 and 6.35 -27.8 and -17.8 356 and 428

Configuration of switches

51
 CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION

A frequency reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna is presented in this

work is used for various wireless applications which is operating in the
frequency range of 2 to 11 Ghz. The Lightweight Modular and
Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna is built , developed, and defined the
same in the CST STUDIO SUITE. The antenna is printed on a Rogers
RT5880 (lossy) substrate with a dielectric constant of 1.2 and thickness
of 0.5086 mm. Its dimensions are 30x28.66 mm2.
A reflection coefficient of -24.3 dB is obtained with our chosen
dimension of a transmission line of 50 ohms.Radiation pattern at
different frequencies had been observed.
The model helps in achieving various applications that include
Radio Location in civil [4.7GHZ],Amateur Satellite[4.628GHZ],PMSE
application[7.735GHZ], Radio location[3.962GHZ] in military.

52
REFERENCES
[1] C. A. Balanis, Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, 3rd ed., New York:
JohnWiley & Sons, 2005.
[2] Randy Bancroft, “Microstrip and Printed Antenna Design” 2nd edition, IET
Publication, July2008.
[3]Richards, W.F., LO, Y.T., and Harrison, D.D., “An improved theory for
microstrip antennasand application” IEEE Transactions on antenna and
propagation January 1981,vol. AP-29,pp.38-46.
[4] Constantine A. Balanis “Antenna Theory Analysis and Design” 3rd edition,
(WILEYPublication, 2005).
[5] Lo, Y.T., Solomon, Dand Richards , W.F.,”Theory and Experiment on
microstrip Antenna,”IEEE Transactions on antenna and propagation, March1979,
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[6] Ramesh Garg P.bhatiya, InderBahal, A. Ittipiboon “Microstrip Antenna Design
Handbook”(Artech House Publishers, 2001).
[7] K. D. Prasad “Antenna and Wave Propagation” 3rd edition, (Tech India
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[8] David M. Pozar “Microwave Engineering” 4th edition, (Wiley Publication,
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