A Reconfigurable CP/LP Antenna With Cross-Probe Feed

In this letter, a wideband polarization-reconfigurable patch antenna with capability of generating circular polarization (CP) and linear polarization (LP) propagations is introduced. This antenna consists of a patch, a ground plane, and a cross-feeding probe, which is reconfigured by p-i-n diodes. The proposed cross-probe structure contributes a wide impedance bandwidth feature for the antenna. By controlling the operation of the p-i-n diodes, different polarizations of the patch can be excited. This antenna has three selective operating modes, including left-hand circular polarization, right-hand circular polarization, and linear polarization. For CP modes, the antenna yields an axial-ratio (AR) bandwidth of 19.2% (for AR ≤ 3 dB) with a broadside antenna gain of 7.7 dBic, while the antenna has an impedance width of 21% and the broadside gain of 8.4 dBi for its LP mode. The radiation patterns are stable across the operating bandwidth for the three modes. Measured results agree with the simulation analysis. This antenna can find potential applications in Wi-Fi and satellite communication systems.