A reconfigurable PCB antenna for WiMAX, C-band and X-band operation

In this paper, a novel printed-circuit-board (PCB) antenna that employs electronic tunability is presented. The antenna is based on a 10 mm times 25 mm times 1.6 mm FR4-epoxy substrate, is microstrip-line fed and has a partial ground plane. The proposed antenna is designed and simulated using the Finite-Element Method (FEM) and the Method of Moments (MoM) for two different switching conditions. The impedance bandwidth, gain, efficiency and radiation patterns of the antenna are demonstrated. It is shown that the antenna is suitable for WiMAX, C-band and X-band operation.