Gain enhancement of millimeter wave antenna with metamaterial loading

In this paper a dipole antenna is loaded with C-shaped metamaterial unit cell array. This array of metamaterial unit cells acts as a dielectric lens to focus the E-filed radiated from the dipole antenna in a particular direction. The effect of loading metamaterial layer on the dipole is studied, a gain enhancement of 5dB is observed. The predicted results were verified through measurements and it is observed the antenna has a return loss of -10dB in the 26-30 GHz frequency band. The radiation properties in the E-plane is also measured, the antenna has a measured peak gain of 11dBi when loaded with the metamaterial. This compact antenna is a suitable candidate for compact planar handheld devices.