JP2013532436A - Ultra-thin microstrip antenna using metamaterial - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna structure and a method for manufacturing an antenna structure for wireless communication are disclosed. The antenna radiating elements exhibit self-similar structural features to reduce physical size and improve antenna performance characteristics such as return loss and gain. In order to further reduce the energy loss of the antenna and further improve the gain, a metamaterial resonator is disposed on the same plane as the radiating element of the antenna and on the same surface of the dielectric substrate. Placing the metamaterial resonator on the same plane as the radiating element and on the same surface of the dielectric substrate minimizes the overall thickness of the antenna structure.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present disclosure relates generally to antenna designs with fractal elements and metamaterials. In particular, an aspect of the present disclosure is an antenna design comprising a radiating element exhibiting self-similar structural features and several metamaterial resonators disposed around the radiating element, the radiating element and the number The present invention relates to an antenna design in which such metamaterial resonators share a common plane with respect to a planar dielectric substrate.

  Today's technological advances are increasing the demand for wireless communication. Information is transmitted at various distances without a conductor or electric wire by wireless communication, and this information transmission is realized using electromagnetic energy. An antenna is an indispensable component for facilitating wireless communication in a wireless communication network. The antenna is connected to many wireless devices such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, and a portable television device.

  The antenna is used to radiate and / or receive electromagnetic signals in the wireless communication field. An antenna is essentially a converter that converts radio frequency electromagnetic waves in the electromagnetic spectrum into current. Therefore, parameters such as antenna gain, directivity, and efficiency are considered when designing the antenna. The antenna can operate in a single frequency band or multiple frequency bands. The former is generally known as a single band antenna, and the latter is often called a multiband antenna. Today, multi-band antennas are more widely used than single-band antennas, but are increasing in cost due to their size and complex circuitry. In recent years, coupled with the trend of miniaturization of communication devices and other personal electronic devices, the need for miniaturization of antennas is also increasing.

  A microstrip patch antenna, or simply a patch antenna, is a narrowband, wide beam antenna manufactured by etching an antenna element pattern into a metal patch bonded to an insulating dielectric substrate. The continuous metal layer bonded to the opposite side of the dielectric substrate forms a ground layer. The use of patch antennas is gaining more and more attention, mainly due to outstanding physical properties such as light weight, low profile, low manufacturing cost, suitability, repeatability, and reliability. Also, the patch antenna is easy to manufacture and can be easily integrated with semiconductor elements and wireless technology equipment. The patch antenna can be used in various shapes such as a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, and an ellipse.

  In recent years, the shortcomings of patch antennas have surfaced. Conventional patch antennas designed in the microwave band are generally large in size and therefore have the detrimental effect of attaching such antennas to transceiver and repeater systems. Such antennas are also limited in terms of narrow bandwidth, low gain, and weak radiation patterns. If the antenna size is reduced as a whole, gain is reduced, and gain reduction can also occur due to substrate characteristics that can cause surface excitation. Therefore, recent research efforts are directed to the design of microstrip antennas, and radiation characteristics are being improved and simultaneously miniaturized.

  In general, between antenna area and wavelength, if the antenna size is smaller than λ / 4 (where λ is the operating wavelength), the radiation resistance, gain, and bandwidth are reduced, making the antenna ineffective. There is a relationship and therefore the antenna size must be increased. One effective means used to avoid size and radiation characteristics problems is to utilize fractal radiating patches or fractal patch antennas. A fractal patch antenna is an antenna that utilizes a fractal or self-similar design to maximize the length or increase the perimeter of a material that can transmit and receive electromagnetic signals within a certain total surface area or volume. Thus, a fractal patch antenna can achieve a radiation pattern and input impedance comparable to a long antenna, and can overcome size constraints with many curves in its shape. A self-similar design is generated by starting from a microstrip and repeating iteratively. However, these fractal patch antennas have one drawback due to energy loss resulting from magnetic / electrical imbalance.

  FIG. 1 shows an antenna substrate having a split ring resonator. In order to avoid the problem of lowering energy loss due to magnetic / electrical imbalance, a magnetic resonator is arranged around the antenna substrate in the form of a split ring resonator. The split ring resonator was placed perpendicular to the antenna patch. This arrangement is (mostly or typically) designed according to the direction of the electric and magnetic fields. One disadvantage of such a design is that the antenna substrate thickness is increased due to the split ring resonator.

  According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals in one or more frequency bands is disclosed. The antenna has a first side, a second side opposite to the first side, a third side and a fourth side extending between the first side and the second side. A body substrate is provided. The antenna includes at least one radiating element disposed on the surface of the dielectric substrate. The at least one radiating element has several self-similar structural features. The at least one radiating element may have several voids. The several voids of the at least one radiating element may be arranged symmetrically on the at least one radiating element. At least one feed line is connected to the at least one radiating element. The at least one feed line extends between the at least one radiating element and the first side.

  Further, at least one metamaterial resonator is disposed on the same plane as the at least one radiating element and on the same surface of the dielectric substrate. The at least one metamaterial resonator is disposed around the at least one radiating element. Several positions for disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator are at least on the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate. There may be one. For example, in some embodiments, there may be several locations for placing the at least one metamaterial resonator on at least one of the third side and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate. In one embodiment, the at least one metamaterial resonator may include a plurality of metamaterial resonators in which adjacent ones are vertically arranged or stacked.

  According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing an antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals in one or more frequency bands is disclosed. The antenna has a first side, a second side opposite to the first side, a third side and a fourth side extending between the first side and the second side. A body substrate is provided. The antenna includes at least one radiating element disposed on the surface of the dielectric substrate. The at least one radiating element has several self-similar structural features. At least one feed line is connected to the at least one radiating element. The at least one feed line extends between the at least one radiating element and the first side. Further, at least one metamaterial resonator is disposed on the same plane as the at least one radiating element and on the same surface of the dielectric substrate. The at least one metamaterial resonator is disposed around the at least one radiating element. The method includes scaling the at least one radiating element to operate at a desired frequency and an electric field of the at least one radiating element depending on the shape and geometry of the at least one radiating element. And determining the direction of the magnetic field and determining several positions for disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator on the dielectric substrate.

  Several positions for disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator are at least on the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate. There may be one. For example, in some embodiments, there may be several locations for placing the at least one metamaterial resonator on at least one of the third side and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate.

  The method may further comprise at least one of creating several specifications of the antenna and repetitively determining the shape of the at least radiating element.

  The method includes disposing the at least one radiating element on a surface of the dielectric substrate, and placing the at least one metamaterial resonator on the same plane as the at least one radiating element and on the same surface of the dielectric substrate. And a placing step.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an antenna substrate having a split ring resonator. 2a and 2b are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of an antenna structure according to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure. 3a and 3b are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of an antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a communication system having a portable receiver including an antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 5a and 5b are a plan view and a side view of an antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an antenna according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an antenna according to some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a representative embodiment of a metamaterial resonator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating several split ring resonators (SRRs) in various directions according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating at least one radiating element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a radiating element having several voids according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing an antenna according to a representative embodiment of the present disclosure. 13a and 13b are diagrams illustrating simulation results of electric and magnetic fields generated by at least one radiating element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively.

  Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an antenna and / or a method for manufacturing an antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals in one or more frequency bands.

  In particular, the present disclosure relates to an antenna having at least one radiating element and at least one metamaterial resonator disposed around or near the radiating element. In various embodiments, the metamaterial resonator and the radiating element share the same plane, and thus at least one surface or portion of the at least one metamaterial resonator shares the same plane as the radiating element. In an embodiment, the at least one metamaterial resonator includes a plurality of metamaterial resonators in which adjacent ones are stacked vertically.

  A method for developing such an antenna is also disclosed. An antenna having at least one metamaterial resonator operates with low loss. By disposing at least one metamaterial resonator in the same plane as the at least one radiating element and around the at least one radiating element, the energy loss resulting from the magnetic / electrical imbalance is reduced while making the antenna thickness extremely thin. Minimized.

  For example, this disclosure describes an antenna that operates in radio frequency bands of about 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. However, the various embodiments of the present disclosure are not excluded from other applications that require operation capability similar to a wireless application related to such a frequency band. Of course, an antenna according to the present disclosure can operate in various frequency bands or multiple frequency bands.

  In the following description and related drawings, like elements are referred to with like reference numerals.

  For example, FIGS. 2a and 2b are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of the structure of an antenna 100 according to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure. A spatial arrangement according to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 2a and 2b. In this embodiment, the antenna 100 has a dielectric substrate 102, the dielectric substrate 102 having a first side 104, a second side 106 disposed opposite the first side 104, and a first side. It has a third side 108 and a fourth side 110 that extend between one side 104 and the second side 106. At least one feed line 112 extends between the first side 104 and the at least one radiating element 114. From FIG. 2 b, the antenna 100 has a top side 116 and a bottom side 118 opposite the top side 116. The radiating element 114 is disposed on the top side 116 and the ground plane layer 120 is disposed on the bottom side 118. For convenience, the surface of the dielectric substrate on which the at least one radiating element 114 is disposed will hereinafter be referred to as the upper side 116.

  3a and 3b are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of the structure of the antenna 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The antenna 100 has at least one radiating element 114 disposed on the surface of the upper side 116 of the dielectric substrate 102. At least one radiating element 114 is configured to transmit and receive signals and exhibits several self-similar structural features 122 as described below. As shown in FIG. 3 b, the at least one radiating element 114 is parallel and raised (eg, extends far beyond) to the surface of the upper side 116 of the dielectric substrate 102 and is electrically connected to the ground plane layer 120. It is connected. At least one feed line 112 is connectable to at least one radiating element 114 that enhances and transmits signals to / from the at least one radiating element 114. At least one feed line 112 extends between at least one radiating element 114 and the first side 104. At least one feed line 112 may be electrically connectable to the connector 124. At least one radiating element 114 is substantially flat and is formed on a substantially flat surface of the dielectric substrate 102. At least one metamaterial resonator 126 is disposed around the at least one radiating element 114 and on the surface of the upper side 116 of the same dielectric substrate 102 as the at least one radiating element 114. At least one radiating element 114 and at least one metamaterial resonator 126 share or coexist on the same or common surface. As can be seen from FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, the at least one metamaterial resonator 126 is disposed on the dielectric substrate 102 such that the at least one metamaterial resonator 126 faces the upper side 116 of the dielectric substrate 102. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a communication system 200 having a portable receiver 202 with an antenna 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The feed line 112 is connected to at least one radiating element 114 that enhances and transmits a signal to / from the at least one radiating element 114. The feed line 112 is electrically connected to the connector 124. On the other hand, the connector 124 is connected to the portable receiver 202. The base station 250 has an antenna system 260 that communicates with the antenna 100 through the radiating element 114 via the first communication path 300 so that the radiating element 114 can receive the first number of signals 310. It has become. Further, the second communication path 320 is established so that the second several signals 330 can be transmitted from the antenna 100 to the base station 250. The gain of the antenna 100 is reduced by the interaction of electromagnetic waves during signal transmission / reception. The at least one metamaterial resonator 126 is disposed on the surface of the upper side 116 of the dielectric substrate 102 and in the same plane as the at least one radiating element 114 so as to reduce electromagnetic wave interaction. Since the plane of the at least one metamaterial resonator 126 is disposed on the same surface of the dielectric substrate 102 as the at least one radiating element 114, the antenna 100 has a compact structure. The resonant frequency of the metamaterial resonator 126 can be designed to operate simultaneously with the operating frequency of the antenna 100.

  By disposing at least one metamaterial resonator 126 on the same plane as at least one radiating element 114, the value of magnetic permeability can be increased and the gain of the antenna 100 can be increased. The magnetic permeability is directly proportional to the magnetic energy, and by disposing at least one metamaterial resonator 126 around at least one radiating element 114, the energy loss of the antenna 100 resulting from magnetic / electrical imbalance is minimized. Is done. As will be described later, the arrangement method of the at least one metamaterial resonator 126 depends on the setting of the electric field and magnetic field of the at least one radiating element 114.

  5a and 5b are a plan view and a side view of an antenna 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5 a, at least one metamaterial resonator 126 is disposed around at least one radiating element 114 and on the same surface of the dielectric substrate 102 as the radiating element 114. In some embodiments, the at least one metamaterial resonator 126 may include a plurality of metamaterial resonators that are vertically stacked adjacent to each other to form at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128. .

  FIG. 6 illustrates some representative embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, at least one metamaterial resonator 126 is disposed on at least one of the first side 104, the second side 106, the third side 108, and the fourth side 110 of the dielectric substrate 102. Has been. In another embodiment, at least one metamaterial resonator 126 is disposed on at least one of the third side 108 and the fourth side 110 of the dielectric substrate 102. In addition to at least one metamaterial resonator 126 on at least one of the third side 108 and the fourth side 110, at least one of the first side 104 and the second side of the dielectric substrate 102 There may be one metamaterial resonator 126. The at least one metamaterial resonator 126 may be at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128. The at least one metamaterial resonator 126 or the at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 shares the same plane as the at least one radiating element 114 or is disposed in the same plane as the at least one radiating element 114.

  FIG. 7 illustrates some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 includes at least a first side 104, a second side 106, a third side 108, and a fourth side 110 of the dielectric substrate 102. Arranged in one. At least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 is disposed around at least one radiating element 114. At least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 and at least one radiating element 114 are disposed on the same surface of the dielectric substrate 102. The at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 shares the same plane as the at least one radiating element 114 or is disposed in the same plane as the at least one radiating element 114.

  The amount of metamaterial resonator 126 to be placed on the dielectric substrate 102 can be determined by the electric and magnetic field characteristics of at least one radiating element 114. The at least one metamaterial resonator 126 can be arranged based on electric and magnetic field characteristics. As will be described later, the at least one metamaterial resonator 126 exhibits various electromagnetic characteristics by being oriented in various directions, and the electromagnetic interaction with the at least one radiating element 114 may be affected by the direction. .

  FIG. 8 illustrates a representative embodiment of a metamaterial resonator 126 or a portion of a metamaterial resonator stack 128 according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. At least one metamaterial resonator 126 and / or at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 may be a split ring resonator (SRR). As shown in FIG. 8, the metamaterial resonator 126 has a plurality of gapd sides 134. The resonant frequency of at least one metamaterial resonator 126 or at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 can be designed to operate simultaneously with the operating frequency of at least one radiating element 114. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the resonance frequency tolerance of at least one metamaterial resonator 126 and / or at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 is ± 0.5-5% of the operating frequency of antenna 100. possible.

  The split ring resonator can cause magnetic resonance to produce a large positive peak just before the negative real part of the permeability. This high positive value that occurs before resonance attempts to stabilize the energy loss resulting from the magnetic / electrical imbalance. This is generally valuable when the resonator is resonating.

  FIG. 9 illustrates several split ring resonators (SRRs) in various directions according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The generation of magnetic resonance depends on the directions of the excitation wave (k), electric field (E), and magnetic field (H). As shown in FIG. 9, the four different directions of the split ring resonator are classified according to the directions of the excitation wave k, the electric field E, and the magnetic field H. As shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b, electromagnetic resonance is excited by electromagnetic waves only when the external magnetic field H is perpendicular to the structural plane. In the split ring resonator of FIG. 9c, nothing is excited from the magnetic field H because the magnetic field H is not perpendicular to the structural plane. Therefore, the direction of FIG. 9 c would be inappropriate for increasing the gain of the antenna 100. In FIG. 9d, since the magnetic field E is parallel to the gap side 134 of the split ring resonator and the direction of the excitation wave k is perpendicular to the plane of the split ring resonator, electrical resonance occurs even at the same resonance. Thus, there are three possible methods (FIGS. 9a, 9b, and 9c) for the orientation of the split ring resonator to obtain the resonant dip.

  In order to avoid detrimental effects on the radiation and permeability of antenna 100, at least one metamaterial resonator 126 or at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128 may be adjacent to another metamaterial resonator 126 or metamaterial. There should not be contact with the material resonator stack 128 or at least one radiating element 114. In general, adjacent metamaterial resonators 126 or metamaterial resonator stacks 128 should have an air gap of at least approximately λ / 200 (where λ is the operating wavelength of antenna 100). Also preferably, the metamaterial resonator 126 or metamaterial resonator stack 128 should be approximately λ / 200 from the at least one radiating element 114.

  FIG. 10 illustrates at least one radiating element 114 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. At least one radiating element 114 is electrically conductive and can be made from copper (Cu), gold (Au), or indium tin oxide (ITO). From the point of view of fractal geometry, at least one radiating element 114 has several self-similar structural features 122 obtained by design or motif iterations. The design or motif is repeated by rotation, translation, and / or scaling. In some embodiments, any combination of rotation, movement, and scaling can be used to obtain some self-similar structural features 122. Some self-similar structural features 122 are known as a plurality of fractal elements 130. The plurality of fractal elements 130 may have at least one shape of a triangle, a quadrangle, or a pentagon. The plurality of fractal elements 130 have the next iteration N + 1 x-axis and y-axis coordinates, which are defined by xN + 1 = f (xN, yN) and yN + 1 = g (xN, yN). However, xN and yN are the coordinates of the previous iteration, and f (x, y) and g (x, y) are functions that define a fractal motif and behavior. The Koch pattern, Blackman Koch pattern, Lotus pod pattern, Sherpinski pattern, Tortoiseshell pattern, and polygonal pattern are self-similar patterns applicable to the plurality of fractal elements 130 of the present disclosure. Note that a desired operating frequency or operating frequency band can be obtained by modifying the self-similar pattern of the fractal element 130.

  According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of fractal elements 130 are generated with an iterative factor 2 or 3 of various shapes, such as triangles, squares, and pentagons. Preferably, in most embodiments of the present disclosure, only two iterations are employed, ie the first and second. In the field of fractal geometry, the iteration factor and number of iterations represent the constituent side of fractal generation and the number of iterations performed. As the number of iterations and the iteration factor increase due to the increase in the average electrical length of the radiating element 114, the resonant frequency of the radiating element 114 decreases.

  A plurality of fractal elements 130 can be configured to obtain a transmission and / or reception dipole resonance pattern. Alternatively, other antenna designs such as phased array designs can be implemented. These antenna designs can be implemented separately from or in combination with the dipole design.

  In order to expand the frequency band of the antenna 100, a conductor-like structure can be added to the antenna 100. The conductor can be a conductor or electrical wiring.

  FIG. 11 shows a radiating element 114 having several voids 132 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Several voids 132 may be arranged symmetrically on the radiating element 114. Some voids 132 can be generated according to the concept of alignment, which usually improves the radiation characteristics of the antenna 100. Due to the number of generated voids 132, the radiating element 114 behaves as if there are two or more radiating elements 114 adjacent to each other.

  In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the dielectric substrate 102 can be any shape that is square, rectangular, or circular. The dielectric constant of the dielectric substrate 102 can be in the range of 2-40. Preferably, the dielectric constant of the dielectric substrate 102 is in the range of 2-3. The size of the dielectric substrate 102 can vary depending on the application. Many different types of non-conductive materials can be used as the dielectric substrate 102. The material can be a silicon wafer, a hard or soft plastic-like material, paper, epoxy, glass, glass fiber, ceramic material, and other materials that can impede the flow of electricity. In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the dielectric substrate 102 is made of a woven glass fiber / PTFE composite material.

  The at least one feed line 112 and the ground plane layer 120 may be any conductive material such as Cu, Au, and ITO. The connector 124 may include a 7/16 DIN connector, a BNC connector, a C connector, and a Dejifix connector.

  FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 400 of manufacturing the antenna 100 according to a representative embodiment of the present disclosure. Steps 402, 404, 406, 408, and 410 according to the method 400 can be implemented by executing a program instruction sequence (eg, software) on a computer or processor. It should be noted that these steps can be performed by another method without using software. In an exemplary embodiment, the software may be CST Microwave studio (Darmstadt, Germany). The method 400 can begin at step 402, where several specifications of the antenna 100 are created to operate at a desired frequency. There are several factors to consider at this step. These factors include the material and type of the dielectric substrate 102, the material of the at least one radiating element 114, the operating frequency of the antenna 100, and several self-similar patterns that should be employed as the plurality of fractal elements 130. In some embodiments, the position of at least one feed line 112 is also determined.

  After at least one radiating element 114 is designed to operate at a desired frequency in step 402, in a next step 404, the shape of the at least one radiating element is iteratively determined. The shape of the at least one radiating element 114 is initially set to a square similar to a microstrip antenna operating at a desired frequency. Subsequently, a well-known fractal technique is applied. Shapes applied by the fractal method include a substantially triangular shape, a substantially rectangular shape, and a substantially pentagonal shape. Due to the iterative approach of step 404, the operating frequency of at least one radiating element 114 may be affected due to a slight imbalance of the radiating element 114. To remedy this, at step 406, at least one radiating element is scaled and at least one radiating element 114 is fine tuned to operate at the desired operating frequency.

  Following this, at step 408, the direction and strength of the electric and magnetic fields of at least one radiating element 114 may be determined. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the direction and strength of electric and magnetic fields are simulated in software. The direction and strength of the electric and magnetic fields depends on the shape and geometry of the radiating element 114. During this step, various parameters of at least one radiating element 114 such as return loss, VSWR bandwidth, and gain may be determined. If the result of step 408 meets the requirements of antenna 100, then in step 410, several positions for placing at least one metamaterial resonator are determined.

  From the simulated electric and magnetic fields of the at least one radiating element 114 obtained from step 408, in step 410, several positions for placing at least one metamaterial resonator can be determined.

  In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, several locations for disposing at least one metamaterial resonator 126 include a first side 104, a second side 106, a third side 108 of the dielectric substrate 102, And on at least one of the fourth sides 110. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, several locations are on at least one of the third side 108 and the fourth side 110 of the dielectric substrate 102. The at least one metamaterial resonator 126 may include a plurality of metamaterial resonators in which adjacent ones are vertically arranged to form at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128.

  FIGS. 13a and 13b show simulation results of electric and magnetic fields generated by at least one radiating element 114, respectively, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen from FIG. 13 a, the electric field represented by the arrows exists on the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate 102. As shown in FIG. 13b, a magnetic field represented by an arrow exists in the vicinity of the feed line 112, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate 102. As described above, there are three directions in which the split ring resonator can be arranged in order to cause magnetic resonance and obtain a positive peak in permeability. These directions are as shown in FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c. These three directions can be arranged by an electric field E, a magnetic field H, and an excitation wave k. Based on the simulated electric and magnetic fields shown in FIGS. 13 a and 13 b, several positions for disposing at least one metamaterial resonator 126 are determined by focusing on the direction of the electric field E and the magnetic field H. be able to.

  Preferably, several positions for disposing at least one metamaterial resonator 126 are determined at positions where the strength of the electric and magnetic fields of at least one radiating element 114 is maximum. The strength of the electric and magnetic fields can be observed from the simulated data. However, there is not always a best position to compensate for energy losses resulting from magnetic / electrical imbalances. This may be due to electromagnetic coupling between at least one radiating element 114 and at least one metamaterial resonator 126. It should be noted that the position where the strength of the electric field and the magnetic field is maximum can be a good starting point for determining the position for disposing at least one metamaterial resonator 126. In this step, the orientation of at least one metamaterial resonator 126 is also important. This is because the return loss, VSWR bandwidth, and gain of at least one radiating element 114 can be affected by the direction. Depending on the response of the at least one radiating element 114 based on return loss, VSWR bandwidth, and gain characteristics, the at least one metamaterial resonator 126 may have a plurality of metamaterial resonators. In some embodiments, the plurality of metamaterial resonators are arranged vertically adjacent to each other to form at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128. In some embodiments, multiple metamaterial resonators may be oriented in the same direction. In another embodiment, multiple metamaterial resonators may be oriented in multiple directions. In yet another embodiment, each metamaterial resonator in the metamaterial resonator stack 128 may be oriented in multiple directions.

  If several positions for placing at least one metamaterial resonator are determined in step 410, then at least one radiating element is placed on the surface of the dielectric substrate 102 in step 412. In some embodiments, at least one feed line 112 is also disposed at this stage. Subsequently, at step 414, at least one metamaterial resonator is placed on the same plane as the at least one radiating element and on the same surface of the dielectric substrate.

  According to a typical method, lithography technology is performed at this stage. As is well known, the shape of at least one radiating element 114 and the location and orientation of at least one metamaterial resonator 126 are first printed on the dielectric substrate 102 using lithographic techniques. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the dielectric substrate 102 has a conductive clothing surface, and unwanted conductive surfaces are etched by printing. As already mentioned, the at least one metamaterial resonator 126 to be placed may include a plurality of metamaterial resonators, and in some embodiments, each adjacent one of the plurality of metamaterial resonators is vertical. To form at least one metamaterial resonator stack 128. Instead of using lithographic techniques, it will be appreciated that the antenna 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be manufactured by other techniques.

  In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, creating 402 several specifications of the antenna to operate at the desired frequency, step 404 to iteratively determine the shape of the radiating element, at least to operate at the desired frequency. At least one of step 406 for scaling one radiating element, step 408 for determining the direction of electric and magnetic fields, and step 410 for determining several positions for placing at least one metamaterial resonator. Is executed at least once. In certain embodiments, steps that have already been performed may be repeated depending on the outcome of each step. For example, after step 406 of scaling at least one radiating element to operate at a desired frequency, step 404 of iteratively determining the shape of the radiating element may be repeated. In certain other embodiments, all of these steps are performed at least once. In yet another embodiment, the step 406 of scaling at least one radiating element to operate at a desired frequency, the step 408 of determining the direction of the electric and magnetic fields, and at least one metamaterial resonator are disposed. Each step 410 of determining several positions for is performed at least once.

  The method 400 shown in FIG. 12 is merely in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The specific order or hierarchy of steps in the above method is an example of a typical method. In view of design preference, it will be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the method may be rearranged without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying method claims represent elements of the various exemplary steps, but are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy. For example, the step 406 of scaling at least one radiating element to operate at a desired frequency can be performed after step 408 of determining the electric and magnetic field directions of the at least one radiating element.

  Based on the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made to the antenna outline and design without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The outlines, methods, and designs described herein are merely exemplary embodiments, and such variations are encompassed by the claims.

  As described above, a method for developing an antenna having at least one metamaterial resonator and an antenna having at least one metamaterial resonator operating with low loss performance has been disclosed. While many embodiments have been disclosed, it will be apparent that many changes and / or modifications can be made to these disclosures without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims (27)

An antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals in one or more frequency bands,
A dielectric substrate having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, a third side and a fourth side extending between the first side and the second side;
At least one radiating element disposed on a surface of the dielectric substrate and having several self-similar structural features;
At least one feed line connected to the at least one radiating element and extending between the at least one radiating element and the first side;
An antenna comprising: at least one metamaterial resonator disposed on the same surface of the dielectric substrate and disposed around the at least one radiating element. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The at least one metamaterial resonator is disposed on at least one of the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate. Characteristic antenna. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna, wherein the at least one metamaterial resonator is disposed on at least one of the third side and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna, wherein the at least one metamaterial resonator includes a plurality of metamaterial resonators in which adjacent ones are vertically arranged. The antenna according to claim 4, wherein
The plurality of metamaterial resonators are disposed on at least one of the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate. And antenna. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna, wherein the at least one metamaterial resonator is disposed in the same plane as the at least one radiating element. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna wherein the several self-similar structural features of the at least one radiating element comprise a plurality of fractal elements. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radiating element is substantially flat. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna, wherein the at least one radiating element is formed on a substantially planar dielectric substrate. The antenna according to claim 7, wherein
The antenna, wherein the plurality of fractal elements have any one of a substantially triangular shape, a substantially rectangular shape, and a substantially pentagonal shape. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna, wherein the at least one radiating element includes at least one of Cu, Au, and ITO. The antenna according to claim 7, wherein
The antenna, wherein the plurality of fractal elements include at least one of a Koch pattern, a Blackman Koch pattern, a Lotus pod pattern, a Sherpinski pattern, a turtle shell pattern, and a polygon pattern. The antenna according to claim 7, wherein
The antenna, wherein the plurality of fractal elements are generated with an iterative factor of at least 2. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna characterized in that the at least one radiating element has several voids. The antenna according to claim 14, wherein
The antenna, wherein the several voids are arranged symmetrically on the at least one radiating element. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna, wherein the at least one metamaterial resonator includes a split ring resonator. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein
The antenna characterized in that the tolerance of the resonance frequency of the at least one metamaterial resonator is ± 0.5 to 5% of the operating frequency of the antenna. A method of manufacturing an antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals in one or more frequency bands,
The antenna has a first side, a second side opposite to the first side, a third side and a fourth side extending between the first side and the second side. A body substrate;
At least one radiating element disposed on a surface of the dielectric substrate and having several self-similar structural features;
At least one feed line connected to the at least one radiating element and extending between the at least one radiating element and the first side;
Comprising at least one metamaterial resonator disposed on the same surface of the dielectric substrate and disposed around the at least one radiating element;
The manufacturing method is
Scaling the at least one radiating element to operate at a desired frequency;
Determining the direction of the electric and magnetic fields of the at least one radiating element depending on the shape and geometry of the at least one radiating element;
Determining a number of positions for disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator on the dielectric substrate. The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 18,
Several positions for disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator are at least on the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate. An antenna manufacturing method characterized by being in one. The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 18,
A method for manufacturing an antenna, wherein several positions for arranging the at least one metamaterial resonator are on at least one of the third side and the fourth side of the dielectric substrate. . The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 18,
A method for manufacturing an antenna, comprising: creating several specifications of the antenna; and repetitively determining the shape of the at least radiating element. The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 21,
Scaling the at least one radiating element to operate at a desired frequency;
Determining the direction of the electric and magnetic fields of the at least one radiating element;
Determining several positions for disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator on the dielectric substrate;
A method for manufacturing an antenna, comprising performing at least one of the steps of creating several specifications of the antenna and repetitively determining the shape of the at least radiating element. The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 21,
Scaling the at least one radiating element;
Determining the direction of the electric and magnetic fields of the at least one radiating element;
Determining several positions for disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator on the dielectric substrate;
A method for manufacturing an antenna, comprising: creating several specifications of the antenna; and repetitively determining the shape of at least the radiating element. The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 18,
Scaling the at least one radiating element to operate at a desired frequency;
Determining at least one direction of electric and magnetic fields of the at least one radiating element, and determining several positions for disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator on the dielectric substrate, respectively A method of manufacturing an antenna, which is performed once. The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 18,
Disposing the at least one radiating element on a surface of the dielectric substrate;
And disposing the at least one metamaterial resonator on the same plane as the at least one radiating element and on the same surface of the dielectric substrate. The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 18,
The method of manufacturing an antenna, wherein the at least one metamaterial resonator includes a plurality of metamaterial resonators in which adjacent ones are vertically arranged. The method of manufacturing an antenna according to claim 18,
An antenna manufacturing method, wherein at least one of the steps is performed by computer software.