Novel compact circularly polarized patch antenna for UHF RFID handheld reader

A compact X-shaped slotted square-patch antenna is proposed for circularly polarized (CP) radiation. A cross-strip is embedded along the X-shaped slot for a novel proximity-fed technique to generate CP radiation in the UHF band. In the proposed design, two pairs of T-shaped slots are etched orthogonally on the square patch, connected to the center of the X-shaped slot for CP radiation and antenna size reduction. Proper adjustment of the length and coupling gap of the cross-strip will excite two orthogonal modes with 90° phase difference for good CP radiation. Simulated and measured results indicate that the proposed structure can achieve circular polarization. A measured impedance bandwidth (VSWR≤2) of about 3.0% (909–937 MHz) and a 3-dB axial-ratio (AR) bandwidth of about 1.3% (917–929 MHz) were obtained.