Abstract:
The Magnetoelectric Dipole (MED) Antenna is a complementary type of antenna that contains
both magnetic and electric dipoles. This type of antenna radiates a symmetrical radiation pattern
formed by combining the characteristics of both magnetic and electric dipoles in the broadside
direction. Such an antenna usually has a very smooth radiation pattern with low polarization,
making it more reliable for use in the wireless communication field. MED antennas can be
developed using either metallic or printed techniques, depending on the application. Metallic
MED antennas are typically larger and bulkier, while printed MED possess low-profile
characteristics, making them more useful for applications where traditional antennas are
impractical or visually prominent antennas are not required, such as in mobile phones, GPS
devices, Wi-Fi routers, and more.
Considering these characteristics, a Printed MED Antenna is proposed in this research for base
station applications, including GSM (900 MHz/1800 MHz), lower and upper Wi-Fi bands, and
LTE. In the past, much work has been done on MED antennas for different frequency bands, but
challenges arose due to larger structures, which compromised the compactness of the antennas.
In this research, a compact printed MED antenna is proposed for the frequencies 5.8 GHz, 2.45
GHz, 1800 MHz, and 900 MHz. The performance of all proposed designs are analyzed in terms
of compactness, impedance matching, gain, and radiation efficiency.
For the proposed designs, the size of the antenna at 5.8 GHz has been reduced by 5 times
compared to the original antenna, with an improved gain of 11.64 dBi over a 2 GHz frequency
band. The results of simulation and fabrication have proven the feasibility and efficiency of all
the design models. This study delves into the investigation and detailed analysis of various feed
shapes, along with the introduction of slots on the patch to improve the impedance matching of
the antenna. The compactness, improved gain, and slotted patch design with different feed
shapes make this antenna design unique and highly suitable for L-band, S-band, and C-band
applications.
