Patch antennas with switchable slots (PASS) in wireless communications: concepts, designs, and applications

This feature article describes, in a comprehensive and unified fashion, the authors' work on the development of novel kinds of reconfigurable microstrip antennas: patch antennas with switchable slots (PASS). PASS are versatile for wireless communication systems, and their structure is very simple. This article introduces the operational mechanism of PASS, as well as their frequency-ratio control and input impedance tuning. Various PASS designs are presented to demonstrate the capability of PASS in wireless communication. These designs demonstrate the functions of dual-frequency operation, dual-band circular-polarization performance, and circular-polarization diversity with only one layer and a single feed. A practical PASS application for future Mars rover missions is also highlighted: a compact, dual-band, circularly polarized antenna for the UHF band was designed, fabricated, and measured, based on the PASS concept.