High-directivity planar antenna using controllable photonic bandgap material at microwave frequencies

Abstract

In this letter, we experimentally demonstrate the capability of a controllable photonic bandgap (CPBG) material to conform the emitted radiation of a planar antenna at 12 GHz. The CPBG material is a variable conductance lattice fabricated with high-frequency PIN diodes soldered along metallic stripes on dielectric printed boards. Depending on the diode bias, the emitted radiation of the antenna can be either transmitted or totally reflected by the material. In the transmission state, the antenna radiation is spatially filtered by the CPBG material in a sharp beam perpendicular to the surface of the material.