Miniaturized RFID Reader Antennas Based on CRLH Negative Order Resonance

This article presents a type of miniaturized high-efficiency patch antennas for UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) reader applications based on the composite right-/left-handed (CRLH) negative order resonance. Miniaturization is achieved by using the first negative order resonance (-1st mode). These proposed CRLH resonators are realized by etching gap on the patch surface, which acts as a series left-handed (LH) capacitor as well as an effective radiator, and using metallic screws on the corner as steadying posts while also providing an LH inductor. Different from the traditional mushroom structures, these screws are placed on the two sides or corner of the unit cells allowing unobstructed current and field flowing inside the cavity. This enhances the quality factor and radiation efficiency. In addition, only metallic sheets, screws, and one thin substrate are used in the design, therefore dielectric loss is basically eliminated. Overall, these proposed antennas achieve a miniaturized size, as well as a high gain and radiation efficiency. The radiation characteristics of these RFID antennas are similar to the conventional patch antennas due to the -1st-order operation. Four antennas, including linearly polarized, circularly polarized (CP), frequency-tunable, and polarization/frequency-reconfigurable antennas, are carefully designed, investigated, and experimentally verified. Remarkable agreement has been observed between simulation and measurement. These antennas well cover 902-928 MHz UHF band. RF range tests are carried out for application verification. They demonstrate a compact size, low-cost, low-loss, and high efficiency with easy implementation. The CP antennas exhibit a good bandwidth and an excellent axial ratio in the whole upper semisphere. They have been selected for mass production, which illustrates a good engineering application example of CRLH metamaterial antennas.