Proceeding of the 2009 International Conference on Space Science and Communication
26-27 October 2009, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Investigation of Reconfigurability of Dual-Band
Microstrip Patch Antenna by Utilizing MEMS Switch
Yulindon, Norbahiah Misran, Badariah Bais
Department of Electric. Electronic and System Engineering
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
yulindon@vlsi.eng.ukm.my, bahiah@vlsi.eng.ukm.my,
badariah@vlsi.eng.ukm.my
Abstract-On the recent years the microelectromechanical system
(MEMS) technology has many application on various fields of
live - including on wireless communication, especially antenna
design. The implementation of reconfigurability will have some
advantages to the antenna by means of the switch. The
reconfigurability of microstrip patch antenna utilizing the
MEMS switches has been investigated. The antenna has
operating frequency of 2.4 GHz and 5.2 GHz. By utilizing 3
switches, the antenna achieves the return loss -18.37 dB and -
16.67 dB for each frequency.
Keywords-reconfigurahility, dual-hand, MEMS switches
I. INTRODUCTION
The wireless communication technology is one of the main
system for the human being to interact with others which
make it possible to transfer the information from a point to any
point in this planet. The antenna is one of the tool on wireless
system which playing important role on the system to support
on delivering the information transmission process. Mean
while on the recent years the microelectromechanical system
(MEMS) technology has many application on various fields of
live - including wireless communication and of course
especially on antenna design.
The implementation of reconfigurability will have some
advantages on capability to tune the antenna's operating
frequency to the new environment which will filter out the
interfering signals and also to reduce antenna size [1]. The
antenna with reconfigurability characteristic can be done by
the present of MEMS switch. Many of MEMS-based antenna
overview and designs have been developed and implemented
on wireless technology applications.
Some of several latest design of reconfigurable antenna
which has been presented for wireless application. For
example on [2], [3], [4] and [5] introduce a reconfigurable
patch antenna which utilizing RF-microelectromechanical
system (MEMS) switches. A reconfigurable antenna using
RF-MEMS switches capable of changing the frequency of
operation (4.8 GHz and 7.6 GHz) while maintaining RHCP
radiation with high frequency ratio (1.6: 1) is presented by [2].
The reconfigurable microstrip antenna operating at two
different frequency 2.4 GHz and 3.5 GHz is designed by [3]
978-1-4244-4956-9/09/$25.00 ©2009 IEEE
Mohammad Tariqul Islam
Institute of Space Science (ANGKASA)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
titareq@yahoo.com
which are used in WLAN and WiMAX applications. The
antenna occupies 8 MEMS switches and using microstrip line
feed. The design on [4] for reconfigurable dual band antenna
with three switches in a modified U-slot patch antenna for 1.9
GHz and 2.9 GHz. A dual band slot antenna has been
developed by [5] using MEMS technique for millimeter wave
wireless communication. A DC-contact switch is employed to
switch the operating frequency from 38 GHz to 60 GHz.
This motivation of this paper is to propose a novel design
of the reconfigurable dual band microstrip patch antenna for
WLAN application and to investigate the reconfigurability the
antenna utilizing MEMS switch.
II. THE DESIGN OF RECONFIGURABLE DUAL-BAND
MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA USING MEMS SWITCH
The completed design and geometry of the antenna is
shown in Fig. 1. The material of Rogers's R04003, is chosen
as the substrate, which has Er = 3.38 and 8 = 0.0027 with the
thickness 1.524 mm (h). Fig. 1 also show the dimensions of
the smaller rectangular patch JKLM (patch A) i.e. 28.94 mm
(LA) and 33.17 mm (WA) mean while the patch PQRSTUVW
(patch B) are 16.14 mm (LB) and 14.28 mm (WB)' The probe
position of the feed point is located at 9.68 rom from the
bottom and 2.75 mm from the right of patch B.
The gap g= 1 separate patch A and patch B, next the MEMS
switches are used to connect the gap between JKLM and
PQRSTUVW (switch ON state) which will resulting the larger
rectangular patch PQRS or patch B. There are several
performance goals with certain optimization in order to show
the flexibility of the design. To achieve resonance frequency
of 5.2 GHz for the patch A, the antenna size was optimized for
minimum return loss from the calculated results 19.49 mm x
15.1 mm to 14.5 mm x 11 mm at the best feed point 4.25 mm
from the bottom and 5.22 mm from the right side of the patch.
The results for frequency center for this patch is 5.2 GHz and -
20 dB return loss. Furthermore, the optimization is conducted
on the gap between patch A and patch B in order to maintain
the resonance frequency at 5.2 GHz and minimum return loss.
The optimizing result for the gap is 1 mm, narrowing the gap
from this value will change the resonance frequency of the
first patch.
111
 :y

Figure 2. Simulated return loss of the antenna with I switch

-s \(
·' 0

a ll te n ll a~
-rs

Cr =3.38 ·' 0
)'
ground plane 3 •
he-que-ncy«GHz)

swi t ch

Figure 3. Simulated return loss of the antenna with 2 switches

.,
-4

...
·6

·8

" 0
·12
1mm ·'4
·' 6
·'8
Figure I. The geometry ofreconfigurable dual-band microstrip antenna ·' 0 : - --:;-- -;-- -;-- -;-- -;-'
using MEMS switch

Figure 4. Simulated return loss of the antenna with 3 switches

The size of the second patch of the antenna also need to
optimize to resonate at 2.4GHz, in this case the gap will be
connected by incorporating the switch.

111. RES ULTS AND DI SCUSSION .,

Fig. 2 - Fig. 8 shows the simulated return loss and the ·4

current distribution as the function of the number incorporated ·6

switch for the frequency 2.4 GHz, and it is obvious from the
·8
results that the optimum number of switch is 3 as shown in Fig.
4 with the resonance frequency 2.4 GHz and return loss -18.37 " 0

dB. The results indicate that utilizing 2 until 5 switches have · 12

similar current distribution but using 3 switches giving one 3 •

resonance frequency i.e. 2.4 GHz. Meanwhile using 6 and 7 frequency (GHd

switches has better current distribution, but resulting 3

resonance frequencies.
Figure 5. Simula ted return loss of the antenna with 4 switches

112
 Fig. 9 shows the simulation result of the antenna without
incorporating the switches (switch OFF state) which resulting
the frequency resonance 5.2 GHz (bandwidth = 114.97 MHz)
..
-s
and return loss -16.67 dB. This the graph combined with the
result of incorporating 3 switches which has been simulated as
·'0
Fig. 4 with the frequency resonance 2.4 GHz (bandwidth =
-r
· 14
12.51 MHz) and return loss -18.37 dB. These simulation
., . 1 ---:;----,----;---;--..,.J
\-
results compared with [3] and [4] for validation as shown in
3 •
kequt'I'WY(GHl)
Table 1. The number of incorporating switches i.e. 3 switches
is less than [3] and [4] which utilizing 8 switches and 5

Figure 6. Simulated return loss of the antenna with 5 switches

TABLE I. COMPARISON OF THE RE CONFIGURABILlTY VARIABLES

., Tbis

...
Variables Ref(3) Ref(4)
simulation
Switch number 8 5 3

·' 0 Return Loss level (dB) -20 &-7 -17&-20 -18 & -16
."
·14 switches respectively. Meanwhile the level of simulated
return loss for the second frequency 16 dB, is better than [3]
.,.
-r s
.?,-
" 0
with only -7 dB.
3 •
Frequency IGHz)

IV. CONCLUSION
Figure 7. Simulated return loss of the antenna with 6 switch es The investigation of reconfigurability of dual band
microstrip patch antennas associated by MEMS switch has
., been conducted. Using the reconfigurable technique (switches
are alternated ON and OFF) the operating frequencies are 2.4
-s GHz (bandwidth = 12.51 MHz) and 5.2 GHz (bandwidth =
-s
114.97 MHz) and having the return loss -18.37 dB and -16.67
" 0
·11
dB respectively. This antenna has advantages on simple shape,
·14 and only occupying three MEMS switches with good return
.,. • ', :-I'
loss level.
·18
·'0 ~-::------,::------,,....----:----,J
3 •
hrq~ncv (GHz) F UT URE WORK
After these simulated results, further optimization will be
Figure 8. Simulated return loss of the antenna with 7 switch es conduction for widening the bandwidth of the I st frequency,
then the fabrication and measurements will be conducted and
carried out to validate the design.
·2
.... ,,
. \ r, .
A CKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank Institute for Space Science
·6 ", \I I (ANGKASA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and
V , 'V
the MOSTI Secretariat, Ministry of Science, Technology and
~ -8
~
, I
, I
" Innovation of Malaysia, e-Science Fund: 01-0 1-02-SF0544, for
~
,3 10 sponsoring this work.
= - - • .,.- - - Bandwidth at Rl l 0 dB - - "I ..- - -
5
~12 '.
II REFERENCES
·1'
"

~
· 16 - - MEMS Swi t ch OFF [I] 1. T. Bernhard , " Reconfigurable antennas, " Morgan & Claypool
- MEMS Swi tc h ON Publishers, 2007
·18
[2] C. W. Jung and F. D. Flaviis, " Reconfigurable dual-band antenna with
. 20 J--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - high frequency ratio (1.6: I) using MEMS switches," Electronic Letter.,
3 • vol. 44 (2), Jan. 2008.
Frequ en cy (GHz)
[3] H. Torpi and Y. Damgaci, " Design of dual-band recorligurable smart
antenna ,". Progress In Electromagnetics Research Sympos ium, Prague,
Czech Republic, August 27-30, 2007.
Figure 9. Simulated return loss of the antenna for each state of the switches

113
[4] M.P. Daly, and J.T. Bernhard, "RF MEMS switch model for [5] G. Liu, C. L. Law, M. J. Rajanik, and H. Yang" "A switchable MEMs
reconfigurable antenna design," IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society antenna for 38/60GHz millimeter wave communications," 4 th
International Symposium, pp. 1-4, Jul. 2008. Proceeding International Conference of Microwaves and Millimeter
Waves Technology, 2004.

114