Experimental Demonstration of Ground Plane Immunity for Magnetoelectric Antennas

Compact and low-profile antennas that can be mounted on the plane surface have been researched considerably for decades in communication systems. However, when the planar antennas are placed on a metallic surface, the radiation from the antennas can be canceled out by the imaging current. By utilizing acoustic wave resonance rather than relying on electromagnetic (EM) wave resonance, a novel mechanically driven antenna because of the magnetoelectric (ME) effect was proposed to have a ground plane immunity property. In this paper, a general review of the development of ME antennas is first presented. And then a section is dedicated to introducing the theory and the experimental demonstration of ground plane immunity for ME antennas. Finally, further designs to enhance the antenna performance and future applications of employing ME antennas are presented.