Utilization of PIN Diode for Polarization Reconfigurability of 3D Printed RFID Antenna

This paper discusses the exploration of a 3D printed Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) antenna with reconfigurable polarization. The antenna incorporates two diagonal slots upon its square patch, yielding in a cross-shaped slot. The proposed antenna is intended for operation at RFID frequency ranges and is capable of functioning in Linear Polarization (LP), Right-Hand Circular Polarization (RHCP), and Left-Hand Circular Polarization (LHCP) modes. Each polarization mode can be reconfigured by eight PIN diodes as switches mounted on the cross slots of square patch. The antenna is manufactured using a 3D printing process, utilizing Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) as the substrate material. While the radiating element and groundplane are realized using conductive coating paint. In addition, the antenna utilizes a coaxial probe feeding technique for the excitation.