Novel design of a hybrid circular fractal antenna with defected ground structure for ultra-wideband communication

This paper presents a new design for a hybrid fractal antenna with integrated Defected Ground Structure (DGS) to achieve enhanced performance in ultra-wideband (UWB) communication systems. The simulation of the fractal antenna is carried out using High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) on an FR4 substrate material with dimensions of 20 × 15 × 1.6 mm 3 . In this particular design, the circular patch is enhanced by the application of the Cantor Set fractal, whereas the upper edge of the initial partial ground features the incorporation of the Minkowski fractal. The incorporation of both fractal structures and a defected ground structure results in exceptional impedance matching and a wide bandwidth ranging from 3.71 to 13.51 GHz. To validate the accuracy of the simulation results and evaluate the operational bandwidth of the proposed fractal antenna, a prototype was fabricated. The antenna was made using a low-cost FR4 substrate, with copper used for the radiating element and ground plane. The measurement results matched the simulated data, demonstrating the reliability and accuracy of the proposed design. This strong correlation confirms the antenna's efficiency and its suitability for ultra-wideband communication systems. This makes the proposed fractal UWB antenna represents a promising solution for modern mobile communication networks, particularly 5G, thanks to its ability to support high bandwidth, high data rates, and low latency. The antenna is also well-suited for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, such as precise positioning and short-range communications, while covering critical frequency bands, including the C-band. These characteristics make the proposed design advantageous for current and future wireless communication technologies.