Dual-band reconfigurable CPW antenna with square and hexagonal apertures for wireless applications

A dual-band reconfigurable coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed antenna is proposed, where dual-band operation is achieved by employing square aperture for the S-band and hexagonal aperture for the C-band. The lower band reconfigurability is achieved by reducing capacitive effect, which changes the input impedance switching the S-band. The higher-frequency C-band is controlled through the switching mechanism, is achieved through a notch-band circuit that facilitates C-band reconfiguration. Four switching conditions are accomplished with two PIN diodes. The antenna is designed on a low cost FR4 substrate with a 0.8 mm thickness. The entire design cycle is verified using an equivalent circuit model (ECM) and a prototype of the proposed antenna is fabricated and measured. The proposed antenna is fabricated using a chemical etching process, and biasing lines with SMD lumped elements are employed for switching. The measured results are in good comparison with the simulated results, indicating the usefulness of the design in dual-band reconfigurable satellite communication applications.