Bandwidth Enhancement and Size Reduction of Microstrip-Fed Folded-Slot Antenna

Abstract

A microstrip-fed half-wavelength folded-slot antenna that is cut at the finite ground plane edge for bandwidth enhancement as well as size reduction of the conventional folded-slot antenna is proposed. The antenna is fabricated within limited space of 35 mm 3 12 mm on a 35 mm 3 35 mm substrate, which is about the size of typical PCB for of RF modules used in wireless communication systems. The measured impedance bandwidth (S-11 <= -10 dB) and maximum antenna gain over the passband are 92.5% (2.63 similar to 7.27 GHz) and 4.69 dBi, respectively. The measured radiation patterns are similar to those of the conventional folded-slot antennas and are stable across the pass band. These properties and its compact structure render the proposed antenna suitable for applications in various wireless communication systems. (C) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.