A Multifunctional Reconfigurable Pixeled Antenna Using MEMS Technology on Printed Circuit Board

Abstract

A multifunctional reconfigurable pixeled antenna that uses microelectromechanical switches (MEMS) and operates within the 4-7 GHz frequency band is presented. The proposed antenna is a highly reconfigurable planar surface radiator composed of an n <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">px</sub> × n <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">px</sub> matrix of metallic pixels interconnected through MEMS switches. The antenna can be reconfigured to perform multiple functions such as: frequency tuning, pattern diversity, and polarization adaptation. A functional prototype using integrated MEMS switches was fabricated on a printed circuit board substrate, to show its feasibility and the impact of MEMS switches during operation. Simulated and measured data of the return loss and radiation characteristics of the antenna are presented.