Realization of a compact reconfigurable antenna for mobile communications

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of a compact antenna reconfigurable in frequency using PIN diode switches. The resulting device has a footprint under 0.2λ × 0.2λ at the lowest operating frequency and affords frequency tunability in the band 1.7GHz-2.7GHz with five PIN diode switches. Key aspects such as the importance of efficient full-wave simulation and optimization in the design stage, the need to accurately characterize switches to include their behavior in design/optimization, and the circuit and layout design are addressed.