Switch -reconfigurable electrically small integrated antenna technologies

The trend towards miniaturization and multi-functionality in next-generation wireless applications precipitates the need for antenna solutions that provide high levels of integration coupled with reconfigurability. This work develops two novel switch-reconfigurable antenna concepts advancing key technologies required to realize integrated reconfigurable antennas suitable for many applications. The development of RF MEMS enabled monolithic reconfigurable antenna elements for Ku-band and higher wafer-level phased array antennas is a significant milestone towards demonstrating multi-functional and adaptive antennas for future secure wireless communication applications. Additionally, the development and demonstration of a novel environmentally agnostic integrated antenna concept contributes substantially to portable wireless communication device design.;We envisage a new wafer-level antenna array architecture using RF MEMS switches for element-reconfigurability and passive phase shifting in the feed network. We develop unique switch-reconfigurable aperture coupled triangular patch antenna elements at Ku through Ka-band to be compatible with this integration architecture. Laboratory measurements establish the feasibility of our approach to element reconfigurability using monolithically integrated, but static, ideal RF MEMS switches in a Ka-band antenna element demonstrating contiguous tuning from 32 to 39 GHz. Full-wave electromagnetic (EM) models establish the importance of accurately modeling the down-state capacitance of realistic RF MEMS switches and enable the development of an electrically small Ku/K-band monolithic reconfigurable antenna element for integration into our array architecture. Creating a one-of-a-kind antenna measurement technique allows simultaneous back-side wafer-probing and front-side radiation for wafer-level characterization of antenna elements and arrays.;The frequency-agile, electrically small, capacitively-loaded PIFA-as-a-Package (PIFA-AAP) concept demonstrates the utility of switch-reconfigurable antenna technologies to miniature and/or portable UHF wireless devices. The frequency and size scalable PIFA-AAP concept integrates the antenna into the device package to maximize the effective area of the antenna given the physical constraints of the application. An approach to frequency-agility using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solid state switches overcomes the often disabling environmental sensitivity of small antennas. Measured performance of a 25x50x9mm PIFA-AAP includes contiguous tuning coverage between 407.8 and 463.1 MHz with a total realized gain of more than -10dBi across the tuning range. The measured non-instantaneous ensemble bandwidth of the proof-of-concept, frequency-agile, PIFA-AAP surpasses the Wheeler-Chu-Mclean fundamental limit.