Thin dual-resonant stacked shorted patch antenna for mobile communications

Introduction: Short-circuited microstrip patch antennas, or PIFAs, can be used as directive internal handset antennas in various communication systems. They provide advantages over traditional external whip and helix antennas in terms of increased total efficiency (when the handset is near the user’s head), decreased radiation towards the user, and increased mechanical reliability. The main disadvantage is their narrow impedance bandwidth compared to the volume occupied by the antenna structure. Typical requirements for directive internal antennas designed for cellular handsets (with a thickness ≤ 20mm) are antenna thickness ≤ 5mm and bandwidth ≥ 10%. It is difficult to design such a small, directive, low-profile handset antenna with high radiation efficiency and an impedance bandwidth greater than 10%. Small antenna design is always a compromise between size, bandwidth, and efficiency. Often, the price for improved performance is increased complexity. If the total dimensions of a patch antenna element are fixed, there are two effective ways to enhance its bandwidth: either dissipative loading [1], which reduces the radiation efficiency, or the addition of more resonators into the antenna structure (matching networks or parasitic elements). The latter method may increase the manufacturing complexity of the antenna. In this Letter, a thin dual-resonant stacked shorted patch antenna is presented. Previously, stacked short-circuited patch antenna elements have been reported in [2, 3]. More recently, similar elements have also been discussed in [4, 5]. The presented antenna is dual-resonant and has a very low profile. The thickness is only one fifth of that of the antenna reported in [5], whereas the surface area reserved for the patches is approximately equal. The small size of the antenna presented in this Letter makes it relatively easy to fit inside a cellular handset. The bandwidth is sufficient for many communication systems. With a common short circuit element which connects both patches to the ground plane, the presented antenna is the simplest example of a stacked shorted microstrip patch antenna. No extra tuning or shorting posts inside the patch area are needed, which makes its manufacturing easier.