Efficient and Compact Near-Field Coupled Hybrid Antenna Using a Single Radiating Subwavelength Split-Ring Resonator

Modern applications in the realms of wireless communication and mobile broadband Internet increase the demand for compact antennas with well defined directivity. Here, we present an approach for the design and implementation of hybrid antennas consisting of a classic feeding antenna that is near-field-coupled to a subwavelength resonator. In such a combined structure, the composite antenna always radiates at the resonance frequency of the subwavelength oscillator as well as at the resonance frequency of the feeding antenna. While the classic antenna serves as impedance-matched feeding element, the subwavelength resonator induces an additional resonance to the composite antenna. In general, these near-field coupled structures are known for decades and are lately published as near-field resonant parasitic antennas. We describe an antenna design consisting of a high-frequency electric dipole antenna at f d = 25 GHz that couples to a low-frequency subwavelength split-ring resonator, which emits electromagnetic waves at f SRR = 10.41 GHz. The radiating part of the antenna has a size of approximately 3.2 mm × 8 mm × 1 mm and thus is electrically small at this frequency with a product k · a = 0.5 . The input return loss of the antenna was moderate at − 18 dB and it radiated at a spectral bandwidth of 120 MHz. The measured main lobe of the antenna was observed at 60 ∘ with a − 3 dB angular width of 65 ∘ in the E-plane and at 130 ∘ with a − 3 dB angular width of 145 ∘ in the H-plane.