Advanced Design and Analysis of UWB U-Slot Microstrip Patch Using Theory of Characteristic Mode

Ultra wide band is rapidly advancing as a high data rate wireless communication technology. As is the case in conventional wireless communication systems, an antenna also plays a very crucial role in UWB systems. However, there are more challenges in designing a UWB antenna than a narrow band one. A suitable UWB antenna should be capable of operating over an ultra-wide bandwidth as allocated by the FCC. At the same time, satisfactory radiation properties over the entire frequency range are also necessary.;This thesis focuses on UWB antenna design and analysis. Studies have been undertaken covering the areas of UWB fundamentals and antenna theory. In recent years, the U-slot patch antenna established itself as a versatile, low profile and cost effective antenna that can be fine-tuned for ultra-wideband operations. The main objective of this thesis is to propose an effective practical design procedure to design U-Slot antenna and provide physical insight into the design using full wave analysis methods.;This research work focuses on developing a novel scheme to design wideband U-Slot antenna. To validate the design technique antenna is fabricated and measured results are compared with the simulated to assess the performance.;In this dissertation, effect of reactive loading on probe fed, single layer, U-Slot loaded microstrip antenna is investigated using Theory of Characteristic Modes (TCM). Detailed analysis of reactive loading due to feed location and arm-angle variation is presented.;Optimized reactive loading has been shown to produce a modified U-Slot structure without increasing any cost and complexity. The optimized loaded antennas are wideband with a relatively stable radiation pattern. Furthermore, we propose an optimization guideline for a wide band design with stable radiation patterns.