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Mohammad Ameen and Raghvendra Kumar Chaudhary
Metamaterial Circularly
Polarized Antennas
Integrating an epsilon negative transmission line and single split ring-type
resonator.
T
his article discusses the future possibilities and
analysis of metamaterial (MTM)-based compact
circularly polarized (CP) antennas for wireless
applications. Here an effective method is intro-
duced for designing a simple and efficient MTM CP
antennas by integrating with an epsilon negative (ENG)
transmission line (TL) and single split ring (SSR)-type
resonator. For improving the radiation characteristics,
a compact size artificial magnetic conductor metasur-
face (AMC-MS) without via is loaded with the intended
ENG TL-based radiator antenna as a ground plane. The
novelty of this kind of ENG TL-based CP antenna with
AMC-MS is discussed for the first time in the literature
and further image theory concept is applied for find-
ing the driving point impedance. This kind of design is
suitable for all frequencies by proper optimization and
scaling. The radiating element of the intended antenna
acquires a smaller area due to its zeroth-order resonance
(ZOR) property with dimension of 0.26 m 0 # 0.16 m 0 at
3.5 GHz with an overall dimension with AMC-MS are
0.51 m 0 # 0.51 m 0 # 0.16 m 0 at 3.5 GHz. The measured
results of the antenna show an impedance bandwidth
of 16.36% and a CP bandwidth of 11.93%. The antenna
shows a gain of 5.62 dBic and average radiation efficien-
cy of 72.1% along the frequency band.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MAP.2019.2950920
Date of current version: 2 January 2020
2 1045-9243/20©2020IEEE
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XXXXX
INTRODUCTION
Modern wireless communication systems and their emerging
applications need high-quality and high-speed data transmis-
sion systems with compactness, which has led to the develop-
ment of microstrip antennas suitable for the current and future
wireless communication systems [1], [2]. Different kinds of
antennas with various geometries are presented in the litera-
ture [3]–[10]. The overall performance characteristics of such
antenna geometries are listed in Table 1. Out of these, MTM-
based composite right/left-handed (CRLH)-TL [6] and ENG-
TL [7] antennas can provide more compactness compared to
other antennas with less design complexity and fabrication cost.
But these antennas provide only narrow bandwidth, poor gain,
and efficiency. This can be overcome by using MSs which will
be discussed in the “AMC-MS Design and Analysis” section.
Recently, CP antennas are getting more attention from
researchers and antenna industries due to the insensitivity
toward orientation of the device and more flexibility in place-
ment of transmitting and receiving antennas [3], [7]. Various CP
antennas based on MTMs are reported in the literature, which
use circular mushrooms [11], rectangular radiators with a chip
capacitor and vias [12], MTM spirals [13], trimmed patch with
CRLH-TL mushrooms [14], CRLH-TL with a square comple-
mentary split-ring resonator (CSRR) [15], CSRR pairs [16],
fractals [17], multilayer MTMs [18], and multiple MTM struc-
tures [19]. In these reported antennas [11]–[19], the radiating
element sizes are reduced by MTM property, but impedance
bandwidth, gain, and radiation efficiency are still a problem.
In addition, most of the antenna geometries are complex due
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to the presence of vias. In continua-

tion of these aforementioned technolo- TABLE 1. THE PERFORMANCES OF DIFFERENT ANTENNAS
gies, our goal here is to achieve better PRESENT IN THE LITERATURE.
CP bandwidth by maintaining antenna Design Fabrication
compactness. Reference Antenna Type Bandwidth Complexity Cost Advantage Disadvantage
To further enhance the antenna [3] Patch Narrow No Less Low Bandwidth Ô
radiation performance, the imple- Profile Gain Ô
mentation of MS structures like
[4] DRA Wider Yes More Gain Ó Bulky Ó
electromagnetic bandgap (EBG),
reactive impedance surface (RIS), and [5] SIW Moderate Yes More Gain Ó Bulky Ó
AMC along with radiating antenna [6] CRLH-TL Narrow No Less Size Ô Gain Ô
can enhance the overall bandwidth Efficiency Ô
and radiation performance drasti- [7] ENG-TL Narrow Yes Less Size Ô Bandwidth Ô
cally. Several types of such antenna [8] Array Narrow Yes More Gain Ó Size Ó
designs are explained in [20]–[29].
[9] PIFA Narrow Yes More Loss Ô Size Ó
They use a slot-loaded patch and RIS
[20], corner truncated patch loaded [10] MIMO Moderate Yes More Loss Ô Size Ó
with mushroom EBG [21], monopole
with an interdigital capacitor loaded MS [22], circular array AMC-MS. The main specialty of the designed antenna is that
[23], dual-polarized antenna loaded with AMC [24], crossed it does not require a metal post or via [31]. In this proposed
dipole with AMC [25], bowtie antenna with a circular ring work, all the simulations and analyses are performed using CST
[26], printed dipoles [27], [28], and dipole with an MTM Microwave Studio suite.
absorber [29]. These antennas face problems such as higher
profile, lesser impedance bandwidth, poor CP performanc- ANTENNA CONFIGURATION AND DESIGN
es, and lower front-to-back (FB) ratio. To overcome these
problems, an effective method is introduced for the design DESIGN OF CP ANTENNA BASED ON ENG-TL AND C-SSR
of a compact ENG-TL-based antenna with good perfor- APPROACH
mance. The important contribution of the proposed work is The 3D front and back views of MTM CP antenna and its
explained as follows. equivalent lumped elements are depicted in Figure 1(a) and
1) Most of the up-to-date AMC-MS loaded antennas are (b), and the schematic diagram of the intended CP anten-
larger in size. The current application system requires na with dimensions are marked in Figure 1(c) and (d). The
compact size antennas with lesser cost. For this purpose, intended CP antenna is designed on low-cost FR-4 substrate
this article fully explains a cost-effective method to with f r = 4.4, tan d = 0.02, and height H 1 = 1.6 mm. The
design compact antennas with better characteristics antenna consists of an inverted L-shaped feedline of length
compared to existing AMC-MS loaded antennas pre- L f and width W f having an impedance of 50  Ω which is
sented in [20]–[29]. directly connected to the ENG-TL unit cell [the dotted blue
2) The design of radiator antenna is very simple, no complex line in Figure 1(c)]. Partial ground plane structure is used
schemes are used, and the design uses virtual ground [30] in this design. The total dimension of radiator antenna is
to eliminate the use of vias. The antenna provides more 32 # 22 # 1.6 mm 3 (0.37 m 0 # 0.25 m 0 # 0.018 m 0 at 3.5 GHz),
impedance bandwidth and good axial ratio bandwidth and radiating element dimension of 23 mm # 14 mm
(ARBW) with compact size when compared with the (0.26 m 0 # 0.16 m 0 at 3.5 GHz). On the backside, circular-SSR
existing CRLH-TL, ENG-TL and mu negative (MNG)- (C-SSR) is introduced for the generation of another orthogonal
TL antennas existing in the literature [11]–[19]. mode and hence to generate CP radiation. The final opti-
3) The AMC-MS combined with radiator antenna provides mized dimensions are L = 32 mm, L f = 13 mm, L s = 5 mm,
gain > 3.34 dBic and good CP radiation (AR < 3 dB) for theta L v = 4.5 mm, W = 22 mm, C S = 1.5 mm, W v = 10 mm,
= ±45° for all phi values at 3.4 GHz. This kind of antenna is W f = 3 mm, W s = 0.2 mm, W g = 5 mm, R 1 = 7 mm,
suitable for small satellite applications. There are no such R 2 = 6 mm, R 3 = 7.25 mm, R 4 = 6.25 mm, and G = 1 mm.
results presented in existing works [11]–[29]. Figure 2(a) shows the design evolution of MTM CP
4) Image theory analysis is done to find the active input imped- radiator antenna and its corresponding S 11 characteristics
ance of the ENG-TL CP antenna in the presence of a newly are depicted in Figure 2(b). Figure 2(c) and (d) shows
designed AMC-MS. To the best of our knowledge, image the AR characteristics and impedance response in the
theory analysis with MTM CP antenna is explained for the Smith chart. First, the feed line on the top side and partial
first time in the literature. ground plane on the bottom side is denoted as antenna 1. The
To eliminate the problems in earlier reported works [11]– addition of ENG-TL on the upper side, which is a linearly
[19] and [20]–[29], we explain the design and generation of polarized (LP) antenna, generates ZOR at 3.5 GHz, rep-
enhanced antenna performance by using newly designed resented as antenna 2. In the next stage, C-SSR inserted

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Rectangular Strip Circular Ring

(Shunt Inductor) (Series Inductor) C-SSR
Microstrip SMA
Rectangular Stub Partial Ground
Feed Connector
(Virtual Ground) Plane

(a) (b)

Lv
s
C

Ws R3
R1
Wf
Wv

G
W R2 R4
Ls
Lf
y
ENG-TL Wg

x Copper Substrate
z

(c) (d)

FIGURE 1. The proposed antenna design: (a) 3D front view, (b) 3D back view, (c) schematic front view, and (d) schematic
back view.

on the backside generates an additional resonance which
combines with ZOR, enhances the overall bandwidth, and
generates CP (AR < 3 dB) as presented in Figure 2(c) and
denoted as antenna 3. The Smith chart of the antenna in
Figure 2(d) clearly indicates the dual resonance charac-
teristics with a dip in the impedance circle. The frequency
(3.37 GHz) corresponding to the absolute dip where the
best CP radiation characteristics are obtained is displayed
in Figure 2(d).
For a better understanding of antenna radiation mecha-
nisms, the individual resonance mechanism (3.5 GHz and 3.7
GHz) of two resonance dips in Figure 2(b) (antenna 3) should
be explained. Figure 3(a) and (b) shows the surface current
distributions of the front and back view of the antenna 3 at
3.5 GHz. It is identified that ZOR is obtained at 3.5 GHz [see
Figure 2(b)]. In that frequency, the currents are more concen-
trated in the shunt rectangular strip connected between the
circular ring (annular ring) and the virtual ground identifies
that the resonance at 3.5 is due to ZOR. Similarly, Figure 3(c)
and (d) presents the front and back views of antenna 3 at 3.7
GHz and clearly identifies that the backside C-SSR current
concentration is more. Hence the second resonance at
3.7 GHz is generated due to the loading of C-SSR. Here, the
top circular ring is shown in Figure 3(c), a small amount of
current concentrated in the top circular ring due to coupling
between the top annular ring and bottom C-SSR. Hence,
from Figure 3 it is understood that the two bands (3.5 and 3.7
GHz) are due to ENG-TL and C-SSR, respectively.
MAGNETICALLY COUPLED RESONATOR FOR CP
The CP generation mechanism explained here is motivated
by the coupled resonator approach in [32]. For CP genera-
tion, two resonators such as the top annular ring and bottom
C-SSR are incorporated in the antenna as depicted in Figure
2(a) (antenna 3). When the EM energy flows, the current
flows around the top annular ring and a strong magnetic
field is created. The magnetic field is shared between the top
annular ring and bottom SSR and forms a strong coupling
between the top and bottom sides.
Figure 4 depicts the surface current distributions of the
proposed antenna 3 at 3.42 GHz. It can be observed that
a time-dependent circularly rotated current distribution is
observed in Figure 4(a) and (b), indicating the proposed
antenna can generate CP radiation. The surface current dis-
tribution at { = 45c is due to the current flowing through
the lower left half and upper right half of the circular ring.
The surface current distribution at { = 135c is due to the
current flowing through the lower-right half and upper-left

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–10

–20

S11 (dB)
Antenna 1 Antenna 2 Antenna 3
Front View
–30
Antenna 1
–40 Antenna 2
Antenna 3
Antenna 1 Antenna 2 Antenna 3 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4
Back View Frequency (GHz)
(a) (b)

1i
0.6 i
32 2i
0.4 i
28
Antenna 1 2i
24 0.2 i 1i 5i
Antenna 2 3.37 GHz
20
Antenna 3 20 i
AR (dB)

16 0 0.2 0.4 1 2 5 20
12 Antenna 1 –20 i
Antenna 2
8 –1 i
Antenna 3 –0.2 i –2 i –5 i
4
0 –0.4 i
3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 –2 i
–0.6 i
Frequency (GHz) –1 i
(c) (d)

FIGURE 2. The design evolution of the intended MTM CP antenna: (a) design stages, (b) input reflection coefficient characteristics,
(c) AR responses, and (d) Smith chart.

half of the circular ring, which gen-

erates 90c phase shift between the
Front View Back View
upper and lower halves of the circu-
A /m
lar ring. This is similar for the case of Due to 38
{ = 225c and { = 315c, which is same ZOR 34.5
in magnitude and direction opposite to y 3.5 GHz 3.5 GHz y 31.1
that of { = 45c and { = 135c. Here, 27.6
only the surface current distributions 24.2
x x
at { = 45c and { = 135c are plotted z z
(a) (b) 20.7
in Figure 4(a) and (b), since { = 225c 17.3
and { = 315c are equal in magnitude Front View Back View 13.8
and opposite in phase of { = 45c and 10.4
Due to
{ = 135c. The surface current sequen- C-SSR 6.91
tially rotates with clockwise direc- 3.45
y 3.7 GHz 3.7 GHz y
tion, which clearly confirms that the 0
sense of polarization is left-handed CP
(LHCP). x x
z z
Figure 5 depicts the E-field distri- (c) (d)
bution of antenna 3 at excitation phase
{ = 45c and { = 135c for 3.42  GHz. FIGURE 3. The simulated surface current distribution of antenna 3: (a) 3.5-GHz front view,
The E-field distribution of the circular (b) 3.5-GHz back view, (c) 3.7-GHz front view, and (d) 3.7-GHz back view.

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A /m
15
13.6
12.3
10.9
9.55
8.18
y 6.82
5.45
4.09
2.73
x 1.36
z (a) (b) 0

FIGURE 4. The simulated surface current distribution of the MTM CP antenna at 3.42 GHz for various excitation phase (φ): (a) φ =
45° (or φ = 225°) and (b) φ = 135° (or φ = 315°)

Front View Back View

R
Annular Ring C-SS V/m
825
y
y z 750
675
600
x (a) x (b) 525
450
z 375
300
225
150
y g C-SS 75
lar Rin R
Annu 0
y z y
a)
z
Front View Back
BackView
w
View
x (c) x (d)

FIGURE 5. The simulated E-field distributions at 3.42 GHz: (a) φ = 45° (front view), (b) φ = 45° (back view), (c) φ = 135° (front view),
and (d) φ = 135° (back view).

ring and C-SSR are vertical. At { = 45c, the lower-left half
and the upper-right half are positively charged in diametrically
opposite directions along the annular ring depicted in Figure
5(a). In addition, on the backside C-SSR, the upper-left and
lower-right halves are negatively charged, as depicted in Figure
5(b), forming a circular loop by combining the E-fields in the
annular ring and C-SSR. Similarly, at { = 135c the upper-left
and lower-right halves are positively charged, diametrically
opposite directions in the annular ring and the backside C-SSR,
the lower-left half and upper-right half are negatively charged as
depicted in Figure 5(c) and (d), forming a circular loop between
the top and bottom resonators. Here only the E-field distribu-
tions at { = 45c and { = 135c are plotted, since { = 225c and
{ = 315c are equal in magnitude and opposite in phase that of
{ = 45c and { = 135c. Every instantaneous phase displayed at
90° intervals demonstrates that the E-field moves in a circular
manner. Hence, it should be noted that two orthogonal modes
excited with a 90° phase difference between the modes are
obtained. Therefore, the E-field distributions clearly satisfy the
condition for CP radiation, and the E-field vector sequentially
rotates in a clockwise direction, which clearly confirms that the
sense of polarization is LHCP.
MTM CP ANTENNA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
The MTM antenna described in Figure 1 is based on the
open-ended boundary condition of ENG-TL [2], [33]. The
equivalent circuit diagrams for various stages are shown in
Figure 6. The circuit model described in Figure 6(a) consists of

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a series inductor (L 1) which is due to

L1 LR
ωse the feed line of length L f and width
W f ; series inductor (L R), which is due
C0/4
to the circular ring of radius R 1; and
LL
CR G C1 + Ls shunt inductor (L L) which is due to
Cv C0/4 rectangular strip ^L s # W s h . Here the
ωsh length of rectangular strip is chosen
in such a way that Ls % m g /4. The
shunt capacitor (C R) is due to the gap
(a) (b)
between the circular ring and rectan-
L1 LR ωse gular stub. The series capacitor (C L)
is not present, because of ENG-TL
ωSSR
[7]. The rectangular stub ^L v # W v h
LL C0/4 accounts for virtual ground (C v) and
CR G Ls C1 the coupling between the feed line and
Cv C0/4
backside partial ground plane denoted
ωsh by (C 1). The rectangular stub will act
as a virtual ground plane because it
(c) offers high capacitance [30], [31]. The
rectangular stub length is nearly a quar-
FIGURE 6. The equivalent circuit model of the antennas: (a) ENG-TL-loaded LP ter wavelength and offers capacitive
antenna (antenna 2), (b) C-SSR, and (c) final MTM CP antenna (antenna 3). and inductance impedance around the

6 0

5 RH Region –10
Frequency (GHz)

4 LS
S11 (dB)

–20
ZOR
LH Region
3 LS = 2 mm
–30 LS = 3 mm
CST LS = 4 mm
2
LS = 5 mm
Eq. Circuit –40
LS = 6 mm
1
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5
β d (°) Frequency (GHz)
(a) (b)
0 0
CS
–5
–10
–10

–15
S11 (dB)

S11 (dB)

–20
–20
CS = 3 mm WV = 1 mm
CS = 2.5 mm –25 WV = 5 mm
–30
CS = 2 mm WV = 10 mm
–30
CS = 1.5 mm WV = 15 mm
–40 CS = 1 mm –35 WV = 20 mm

–40
3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 3 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.2 4.5 4.8
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(c) (d)

FIGURE 7. The MTM antenna characteristics of antenna 2: (a) dispersion plot for the antenna 2, (b) input reflection coefficient
versus variation of LS , (c) variation of CS , and (d) variation of width (W v) of the rectangular stub. Eq.: equivalent.

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0 18
R3 = 6.75 mm
15 R3 R3 = 7.25 mm
R3
–10 R3 = 7.75 mm
12 R3 = 8 mm
R3 = 8.25 mm
S11 (dB)

AR (dB)
R3 = 8.5 mm
–20 9
R3 = 6.75 mm
R3 = 7.25 mm 6
R3 = 7.75 mm
–30
R3 = 8 mm
R3 = 8.25 mm 3
R3 = 8.5 mm
–40 0
3 3.5 4 4.5 5 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(a) (b)

FIGURE 8. The MTM antenna characteristics of antenna 3: (a) input reflection coefficient versus variation of R 3 and (b) AR versus
variation of R 3 .

0 12
Bandwidth = 580 MHz
Simulated
–5 (15.44%)
Measured
9
–10 Bandwidth = 250 MHz
AR (dB)

(7.25%)
S11 (dB)

–15
3.32 GHz 3.90 GHz 6
–20

–25 Circuit Simulation 3

CST Simulation
–30 Measured 3.32 GHz 3.57 GHz
0
2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(a) (b)

6 100

80
Radiation Efficiency (%)

4
60
Gain (dBic)

2 40

Gain Simulated 20
0 Gain Measured
0
Efficiency Simulated

–2 –20
3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8
Frequency (GHz)
(c)

FIGURE 9. The simulated and measured results of the proposed ENG-TL CP antenna: (a) input reflection coefficient, (b) AR, and
(c) measured gain and simulated radiation efficiency.

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yz-Plane
0 0
330 0 30
–5
300 –10
–15
270 –20
240
210 150
180
LHCP Measured
LHCP Simulated
(a)
FIGURE 10. The simulated and measured 2D radiation patterns of the antenna at yz-plane and xz-plane at 3.5 GHz.
resonant frequency. Based on the proposed ENG-TL circuit
model in Figure 6(a), the periodic condition related to the
Bloch–Floquet theory, the dispersion relation can be found
out by using [2] and [33]. Where Z = j ^~L 1 + ~L R h and
Y = G + j~ ^C R + C 1 + C v /1 - ~ 2 C v L L h . The ZOR frequen-
cy ^ fZOR h is controlled by shunt elements given by (1),
fZOR = 1 .(1)
C v ^C R + C 1h
2r LL ; E of ZOR are changed accordingly. When the width goes larger,
Cv + CR + C1
Figure 6(b) presents the circuit model of C-SSR with two splits
denoted by C 0 and two half rings represented by L s . Figure 6(c)
presents the final circuit model. The circuit is simulated using
Keysight Advanced Design System software and the extract-
ed lumped element values are L 1 = 2.29 nH, L R = 0.3 nH,
L L = 0.595 nH, L s = 2.4 nH, C 0 = 1.355 pF, C R = 3.35 pF,
and C V = C 1 = 1 pF.
Figure 7(a) depicts the dispersion diagram of the intended
LP antenna (antenna 2) extracted from CST simulations and
equivalent circuit simulation. The ZOR is observed nearly at
3.5 GHz, in this frequency the value of bd = 0 [2]. The region
below 3.5 GHz is the LH region that shows a negative slope,
indicates antiparallel phase, and group velocity. Above 3.5
GHz is the RH region, showing a positive slope that indicates
parallel phase and group velocity.
For finding the optimum value of the rectangular strip L s,
a parametric study is conducted as depicted in Figure 7(b). The
length of the strip is chosen such a way that L s % m g /4 . Note
that, in Figure 7(b), increasing the value of L s leads to shift-
ing in resonance toward lower frequency. An optimum value of
L s % m g /4 = 5 mm is selected for fabrication. The variation of
C S (series inductor) is described in Figure 7(c). It is noted that
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xz-Plane
330 0 30
–5
60 300 –10 60
–15
90 270 –20 90
120 240 120
210 150
180
RHCP Measured
RHCP Simulated
(b)
there is no change in the ZOR by changing the CS, but there is
a shift in ZOR when L s is changing. So it is clearly understood
that the ZOR is managed by varying the shunt inductor (L L),
hence the intended antenna is based on an open-ended bound-
ary condition of ENG-TL. The influence of the rectangular stub
on the ZOR frequency has been investigated as plotted in Fig-
ure 7(d). By changing the width of the stub (W v), the operation-
al frequency, impedance bandwidth, and resonance strength
ZOR will shift to a lower frequency. This is due to the virtual
ground capacitance being directly influenced by the dimension
and position of the parasitic patch (rectangular stub) [30]. Based
on this principle, when the width (W v) alters from 1 mm to the
maximum 20 mm, the virtual ground capacitance goes larger,
further leading ZOR operational frequency to decrease from 4.2
GHz to 3.2 GHz.
Figure 8(a) shows the variation of ring (R 3) of C-SSR (keep-
ing ring width constant). It is observed that varying C-SSR
width generates additional mode and enhances the overall
bandwidth. Figure 8(b) shows the corresponding AR responses
for the variation of R 3 . It is clear that the existence of CP main-
ly depends on the dimensions of the C-SSR.
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS OF ANTENNA 3
The antenna is fabricated and the measured S 11 < -10 dB
impedance bandwidth is 580 MHz (3.32–3.90 GHz) with
an equivalent fractional bandwidth of 15.44%, as depicted
in Figure 9(a). Also, the measurement results are in good
agreement with circuit simulation results. The measured
ARBW is 396 MHz (3.18–3.57 GHz) corresponding to
the fractional bandwidth of 11.75% as evidenced in Fig-
ure 9(b). A global CP bandwidth common to impedance
9
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TABLE 2. A COMPARISON OF MEASURED PERFORMANCES OF THE PROPOSED ANTENNA

WITH THE EXISTING MTM CP ANTENNA.
Radiating –10 dB
Frequency Antenna Substrate/Dielectric Overall Antenna Element Bandwidth ARBW Gain Via
Reference (GHz) Configuration Constant Size (mm) ka Size (λ 0) (%) (%) (dBic) Process
[11] 1.48 ENG-TL Rogers 5880/f r = 2.2 D = 56, 1.2 r = 0.277 0.539 – 0.56 Yes
h = 3.175
[12] 1.59 MNG-TL Rogers 5880/f r = 2.2 D = 45, 1 r = 0.29 1.1 0.25 3.8 Yes
h = 3.175
[13] 3 MTM spiral Teflon/f r = 2.6 110 × 110 × 1.6 4.9 – 9.6 7 0.92 Yes
[14] 3.82 CRLH-TL Rogers 5880/f r = 2.2 60 × 60 × 3.175 3.3 0.15 × 0.15 0.62 0.18 6.97 Yes
[15] 2.61 CRLH-TL FR-4/f r = 4.4 24.8 × 22 × 1.5 0.9 0.14 × 0.16 1.28 0.7 –1.1 Yes
[16] 3.45 ENG-TL Taconic TLY-5/f r = 2.2 60 × 60 × 1.6 3 0.35 × 0.35 – – 8.2 No
[17] 3.52 Patch F4B/f r = 2.65 40 × 45 × 2.5 2.2 0.25 × 0.25 3.77 1.86 6.3 No
with meta
surface
[18] 3.41 MTM –/– 40 × 40 × 3.15 2.01 0.56 × 0.53 20.79 5.16 5.15 Yes
inspired
[19] 4.52 MTM –/f r = 2.2 40 × 40 × 3 2.67 0.6 × 0.6 3.9 2.2 1 Yes
structures
Proposed 3.56 ENG-TL FR-4/f r = 4.4 32 × 22 × 1.6 1.4 0.26 × 0.16 15.44 7.25 2.72 No
with C-SSR
D: diameter of the circular patch; h: height of the circular patch; r: radius of the circular patch.

bandwidth ( S 11 < -10 dB ) is observed to be 250 MHz
(3.32–3.57 GHz) where an equivalent fractional bandwidth
of 7.25% is obtained.
Figure 9(c) compares the simulated and measured gain of
the antenna. The measured and simulated gain of 2.72 dBic
and 2.65 dBic are observed. The simulated radiation efficiency
also plotted in Figure 9(c) is greater than 63% for the entire
operating band with an average efficiency of 80% obtained.
Figure 10 depicts the LHCP and RHCP radiation patterns
in the yz- and xz-planes at 3.5 GHz and shows good LHCP
radiation in both the planes along +Z direction. Table 2 shows
the performance comparison between the presented antenna
(antenna 3) and similar type of antennas present in the lit-
erature. The proposed antenna eliminates the use of via with
improved impedance bandwidth, good ARBW, and moderate
gain by maintaining the antenna’s compact size when com-
pared with the existing designs in [11]–[19].
THEORETICAL LIMIT OF BANDWIDTH FOR COMPACT ANTENNAS
For an electrically compact antenna, Chu and Mc Lean
have introduced a factor which is re-explained in [6] for
obtaining the quality factor (Q-factor) and maximum frac-
tional bandwidth ^FBW max h . The ma ximum obtain-
able bandwidth is given by, Q min = 1/k 3 a 3 + 1/ka and
FBW max = ^S - 1 h / ^Q min S h. For the proposed ENG-TL
unit cell, a = 13.46 mm and k = 73.26 rad/m at 3.5 GHz.
Hence, ka = 0.98 1 1, the intended MTM antenna (antenna 3)
is electrically small. Using the aforementioned equations, for
S = voltage standing wave ratio = 2, the maximum obtain-
able bandwidth is 33.95%, which is 2.19 times higher than the
obtained bandwidth of 15.44%.
AMC-MS DESIGN AND ANALYSIS
The MTM-based CP antenna mentioned in the “Antenna
Configuration and Design” section will not satisfy applications
that require unidirectional radiation and higher gain for use in
modern applications. To boost the radiation characteristics of
the intended antenna, placing an AMC-MS at a distance less
or equal than quarter wavelength distance below the radiator
(antenna 3) [34], [35] makes it suitable for low-profile devices
with enhanced performance.
AMCs are well received for their tremendous property
of in-phase reflection within a certain frequency range. It is
a popular class of MTMs on which it provides 0° reflection
phase to a wave incident on its surface. In contrast with an
AMC, the perfect electric conductor (PEC) provides 180°
reflection phase to an incident wave. When a radiating anten-
na is backed with a PEC ground plane as depicted in [35] with
a distance equal to m/4. By image theory [34], they generate
reverse image currents with respect to current in the conduc-
tive sheet and cancel each other, reducing radiation efficiency.
For the case of AMC-MS, when an electromagnetic wave
impinges the AMC surface it gets reflected with 0° phase
shift. So the incident and reflected waves add up and result
in constructive interference [35], resulting in excellent imped-
ance characteristics and enhanced far-field performance.

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L1 Magnetic
(Ht = 0)

W1
Electric Unit Cell
(Et = 0)

L2
L3 Electric
(Et = 0)
y

Waveguide
W2 Magnetic x
Port z
(Ht = 0)
(a) (b)
180 180
Bandwidth = 3.30–3.99 GHz
690 MHz
Conventional
Reflection Phase (°)

Reflection Phase (°)

90 90
Proposed

0 0
φ = 0°
–90 –90 φ = 30°
φ = 60°
φ = 90°
–180 –180
2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(c) (d)
La

Ga

La

(e) (f)

FIGURE 11. The AMC-MS unit cell characteristics: (a) schematic of a unit cell, (b) waveguide port boundary conditions, (c)
reflection phase characteristics of the conventional and proposed unit cell, (d) reflection phase characteristics with different z
values, (e) schematic of the AMC-MS, and (f ) fabricated AMC-MS.

By employing the proposed AMC-MS, the radiating anten-
na’s operating bandwidth is enhanced and its overall gain is
improved. This is mainly due to the following factors.
1) For AMC-MS with real impedance values, the image current
is concentrated in the image point. Due to this, the mutual
coupling becomes more. Whereas, an inductive MS (purely
reactive impedance h = jv) image current follows a sinusoi-
dal manner and it is distributed in space rather than being
focused on a single point, thus minimizing the mutual inter-
action between the source and lowering the mutual coupling
and resulting in a wider bandwidth.
2) The AMC-MS improves the field distribution of radiator
antenna by increasing the antenna’s effective aperture.
Antenna performance can be improved by using a greater
number of unit cells in the MS.
3) Due to the presence of AMC below the radiator antenna,
maximum radiation takes place only in one direction, result-
ing in the improvement of FB ratio.

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DESIGN OF THE PROPOSED AMC-MS GROUND PLANE
The geometry and waveguide port boundary conditions for
the intended AMC-MS unit cell are depicted in Figure 11(a)
and (b), respectively. It is designed on an FR-4 substrate
with f r = 4.4, tan d = 0.02, and height H 3 = 3.2 mm. The
optimized dimensions are L 1 = 8.75 mm, L 2 = 8.5 mm,
L 3 = 5.5 mm, W 1 = 1 mm, W 2 = 1 mm, G a = 0.3 mm and L a =
44 mm. The simulated reflection phase bandwidth of the
conventional unit cell [36] ranging from 3.56–4.65 GHz with
0° reflection phase observed at 4.07 GHz is depicted in Figure
11(c), as well as the reflection phase bandwidth of the pro-
posed unit cell varying from 3.30–3.99 GHz with 0° reflection
phase observed at 3.65 GHz.
L1 C1 L1
C2
Z1
C2 C2
(a)
FIGURE 12. (a) The AMC-MS with two adjacent unit cells. (b)
The circuit model for the two adjacent AMC unit cells.
Figure 11(d) shows the variation of reflection phase
characteristics at various incident angles (z) and finds that
at all values of z the phase response is constant, hence the
AMC-MS will be polarization insensitive. After parametric
studies, a 5  ×  5 unit cell AMC-MS was designed and fabri-
cated as depicted in Figure 11(e) and (f), respectively. By
using the proposed AMC-MS, an overall size reduction of
approximately 38.7% is achieved when compared with the
conventional AMC [36] working the same frequency (3.65
GHz) of AMC-MS.
EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT MODEL OF THE INTENDED AMC-MS
To analyze the working behavior of intended AMC-MS in
Figure 11(e), the EM field in two adjacent unit cells in Figure
12(a) can be simplified into a circuit model given in Figure
12(b). Thus the total surface impedance can be represented as
C1 Z ^~ h = Z 1 //Z 2 = j ^1 - ~ 2 C 2 L 1 h /~ ^C 1 C 2 L 1 ~ 2 - C 1 - C 2 h .
The resonant frequency of AMC-MS are given in (2)
L1
fAMC_MS = 1 2r (C 1 + C 2) / (C 1 C 2 L 1) , (2)
Z2
where the capacitance between unit elements is represented as
(b)
C 1, the modified square type ring is represented by L 1, and the
capacitance between the two-unit elements and metallic ground
plane is denoted by C 2.

Patch
Patch
Substrate
Substrate Z11
Zd
Real Antenna
Antenna
DGS h
Z12 2h
DGS h
Image Plane

AMC-MS
Image Antenna
Reflection Phase = θ AMC Unit
Z22
Cells
(a) (b)
Real (Zd) CST
Imaginary (Zd) CST
6 100 Real (Zd) Image Theory
Real (Zd)
Resistance/Reactance (Ω)

Imaginary (Zd) Image Theory

5 50
Impedance Ratio

4 0
3 –50
2 3.82 GHz –100 Imag (Zd)
1 –150
0 3.47 GHz –200
3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 4.2 4.4
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(c) (d)

FIGURE 13. Image theory analysis: (a) MTM-CP antenna above AMC-MS, (b) MTM-CP antenna and its image antenna in the near-
field region, (c) impedance ratio from (4), and (d) real and imaginary active input impedance calculation by image theory analysis
and CST simulations. DGS: defected ground structure.

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MTM CP Antenna
SMA
Connector

Foam Layer
H1
AMC-MS
Layer

H2

y
H3
z
x

(a) (b)

FIGURE 14. The (a) ENG-TL CP antenna over AMC-MS and the (b) photograph of the final fabricated prototype.

MTM CP ANTENNA OVER AMC-MS

TABLE 3. THE OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS OF
ACTIVE INPUT IMPEDANCE OF THE THE PROPOSED ANTENNA FOR VARIOUS AMC-MS GROUND
INTENDED AMC-MS ANTENNA PLANE CONFIGURATIONS.
For designing MTM CP antenna over AMC AMC Size Electrical Impedance
AMC-MS, active input impedance or Config. (mm2) Size (λ 02) Bandwidth (%) ARBW (%) Gain (dBic) Polarization
driving point impedance (Z d) of the 3×3 26 × 26 0.30 × 0.30 10.48 — 4.49 Linear
intended MTM CP antenna is very
4×4 35 × 35 0.40 × 0.40 12.01 — 5.62 Linear
important for impedance matching pur-
poses with the source or load. 5×5 44 × 44 0.51 × 0.51 12.73 17.39 5.85 Circular
Here we are discussing the active 6×6 53 × 53 0.61 × 0.61 13.61 2.79 5.09 Circular
input impedance of an ENG-TL-based 7×7 62 × 62 0.72 × 0.72 13.34 7.5, 3.06 5.80 Circular
MTM CP antenna in the presence of
8×8 71 × 71 0.82 × 0.82 13.58 15.25 6.11 Circular
AMC-MS as described in Figure 13(a).
To our best knowledge, this type of 9 × 9 80 × 80 0.93 × 0.93 14.22 18.66 6.72 Circular
analysis is reported for the first time Config.: configuration.
Note: All results are based on simulations.
in the case of ENG-TL MTM-based
CP antennas. Finding the active input
impedance or driving point impedance
^ Z d h [37] using image theory is explained in (3) image theory using (3), and the reflection phase in Figure
13(c) was calculated for i. The corresponding Z d is depict-
ji
Z d = Z 11 + Z 12 e , (3) ed in Figure 13(d). It is clearly understood that the image
theory matches well with CST simulations and hence the
where Z 11 denotes the original antenna’s self-impedance and image theory concept will work for the proposed AMC-
Z 12 denotes the mutual impedance between the original anten- MS-loaded antenna.
na and its image antenna as explained in Figure 13(b). The
phase difference between the current in the original antenna GEOMETRY AND DESIGN OF MTM ANTENNA WITH AMC-MS
and its image antenna is represented by ^i h . When the anten- In this stage, the MTM based CP antenna (antenna 3) designed
na’s active impedance Z d is equal to TL impedance Z 0, a per- in the section “Antenna Configuration and Design” is combined
fect impedance matching can be achieved in (4) with AMC-MS, designed in the section “AMC-MS Design and
Analysis.” The 3D schematic view and fabricated antenna are
ji
e = ( Z d - Z 11 ) /Z ,
12 Z d = Z 0 (4) depicted in Figure 14(a) and (b). It is a three-layer configura-
tion consisting of a top side with the main radiator of height
which is valid only when the value of (4) is in unity. Fig- H 1 = 1.6 mm (antenna 3) and a middle layer of foam (f r = 1,
ure 13(c) shows the impedance ratio calculated using (4) and H 2 = 10 mm) used for mechanical support between two
which crosses “1” at two frequencies of 3.47 GHz and 3.82 layers. Below the foam, AMC-MS of height H 3 = 3.2 mm is
GHz, where the active input impedance matches with the placed, which works as a reflector. It reduces the back radiation
impedance of TL. The Z d of the antenna was obtained by and thereby enhances overall antenna performance.

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0 20
3×3
–5 4×4
15 5×5
–10
6×6
3×3 7×7
S11 (dB)

AR (dB)
–15
4×4 10 8×8
–20 5×5 9×9
6×6
–25 7×7 5
8×8
–30
9×9
–35 0
3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(a) (b)
7 21 8

S11 Bandwidth (%), ARBW (%)

6 18
7
15
5
Gain (dBic)

Gain (dBic)
3×3 12 6
4 4×4
6×6 9 5
3 7×7
6 S11BW (%)
8×8 Optimum
ARBW (%) 4
2 9×9 3 Response
5×5 Gain (dBic)
1 0 3
3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81
Frequency (GHz) Number of Unit Cells
(c) (d)
0 20
H2 = 6 mm
H2 = 8 mm
–10 15 H2 = 10 mm
H2 = 12 mm
H2 = 14 mm
S11 (dB)

AR (dB)

–20 10 H2 = 16 mm
H2 = 6 mm
H2 = 8 mm
H2 = 10 mm
–30 H2 = 12 mm 5
H2 = 14 mm
H2 = 16 mm
–40 0
3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 4.2 4.4 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(e) (f)
8 28 7
S11 Bandwidth (%), ARBW (%)

S11BW (%)
24
6 ARBW (%)
6
20 Gain (dBic)
Gain (dBic)

Gain (dBic)

4
16
H2 = 6 mm 5
2 H2 = 8 mm 12
H2 = 10 mm
H2 = 12 mm 8 4
0 H2 = 14 mm
4 Optimum
H2 = 16 mm
Response
–2 0 3
3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Frequency (GHz) Variation of H2 With 5 × 5 Unit Cells
(g) (h)

FIGURE 15. The proposed antenna characteristics: (a) S 11 versus number of unit cells, (b) AR versus number of unit cells, (c)
gain versus number of unit cells, (d) antenna performance by varying number of unit cells, (e) S 11 versus variation of H 2 , (f ) AR
versus variation of H 2 , (g) gain versus variation of H 2 , and (h) antenna performance by varying H 2 .

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6 9

5 7.5

4 6
Gain (dBic)

Gain > 3.34 dBic

AR (dB)
3 4.5
ARBW < 3 dB
2 3

1 1.5

0 0
–80 –60 –40 –20 0 20 40 60 80 –80 –60 –40 –20 0 20 40 60 80
Theta (°) Theta (°)
(a) (b)

Phi = 0° Phi = 90° Phi = 180° Phi = 270°

FIGURE 16. The simulated results of the final antenna at 3.4 GHz: (a) gain (theta = ± 45° and for all phi values) and (b) AR (theta
= ± 45° and for all phi values).

0
Bandwidth = 590 MHz
(16.36%) 8
–5

–10
6
S11 (dB)

–15
AR (dB)

3.31 GHz 3.90 GHz

3.31 GHz Bandwidth = 420 MHz 3.73 GHz
–20 4
(11.93%)
–25
2
–30

–35 0
2.4 2.7 3 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.2 4.5 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
With AMC-MS Simulated With AMC-MS Simulated
With AMC-MS Measured With AMC-MS Measured
Without AMC-MS Simulated Without AMC-MS Simulated
(a) (b)
6 100
With AMC-MS
5
80
Radiation Efficiency (%)

4 Without AMC-MS
Average Efficiency = 80%
Gain (dBic)

3 60
Peak Efficiency = 88.4%

2 With AMC-MS
Without AMC-MS 40 Average Efficiency = 72.1%
1 With AMC Simulated Peak Efficiency = 82.8%
With AMC Measured
20 Without AMC-MS
0 Without AMC Simulated
Without AMC Measured With AMC-MS
–1 0
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(c) (d)

FIGURE 17. The simulated and measured results: (a) input reflection coefficient, (b) AR, (c) measured gain, and (d) simulated
radiation efficiency.

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as H 2 = 10 mm. A series of paramet-

yz-Plane xz-Plane ric studies are conducted on different
0 0 AMC configurations from 3  ×  3 to
330 0 30 330 0 30
9  ×  9 for the combined performance
–5 –5 of the radiator antenna and AMC on
300 –10 60 300 –10 60 S 11, AR, and gain is plotted in Fig-
–15 –15 ure 15(a)–(c). The simulated results
–20 –20
for different AMC-MS configurations
270 90 270 90
are shown in Table  3. Also, the over-
all characteristics depicted in Table 3
240 120 240 120 are plotted in Figure 15(d). As veri-
fied in Figure 15(d), better results are
achieved in 5 × 5 AMC-MS configura-
210 150 210 150
180 180 tion in terms of size, bandwidth, and
(a) AR with a small compromise in gain.
0 0 After choosing the best possible AMC-
330 0 30 330 0 30 MS configuration, we have to fix the
–5 –5 spacing (H 2) between the AMC-MS
300 –10 60 300 –10 60 and main radiator antenna (ENG-TL
CP antenna). For that purpose, Fig-
–15 –15
ure 15(e)–(g) depicts the variation of
270 –20 90 270 –20 90
S 11, AR, and gain characteristics by
changing the height H 2 . Considering
240 120 240 120 the AR and gain, an optimum value of
H 2 = 10 mm is chosen for fabrication,
as shown in Figure 15(h).
210 150 210 150
180 180 After optimizing the spacing
(b)
between AMC-MS and radiator anten-
na, the gain and AR characteristics
0 0
330 0 30 330 0 30 are plotted with different theta values
and for all phi values as depicted in
–5 –5
Figure 16. We observed a gain of more
300 –10 60 300 –10 60
than 3.34 dBic and good CP radiation
–15 –15 (AR < 3 dB) for theta = ±45° and for
270 –20 90 270 –20 90 all phi values (phi = 0° to 360°) at 3.4
GHz, as depicted in Figure 16(a) and
(b), respectively. Hence, this antenna
240 120 240 120 is suitable for working in small satellite
application systems.
210 150 210 150
180 180 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND
(c) DISCUSSIONS OF THE FINAL MTM CP
LHCP Measured RHCP Measured ANTENNA WITH AMC-MS
LHCP Simulated The antenna measurements are done
RHCP Simulated
using N9925A vector network analyzer.
Figure 17(a) depicts the comparison
FIGURE 18. The measured and simulated radiation patterns at the yz- and xz-planes: (a)
of S 11 with and without AMC-MS.
3.4 GHz, (b) 3.5 GHz, and (c) 3.6 GHz.
With AMC-MS S 11 bandwidths are
590 MHz (3.31–3.90 GHz) 16.36%, and
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS FOR OPTIMUM ANTENNA RESULTS without AMC-MS bandwidth of 580 MHz (3.32–3.90 GHz),
WITH AMC-MS 15.44%. Figure 17(b) depicts the AR plots with and without
To analyze the performance of MTM radiator antenna (anten- AMC-MS. A CP bandwidth of 420 MHz (3.31–3.73 GHz)
na 3) by the placement of AMC-MS, a detailed parametric 11.93% and 250 MHz (3.32–3.57 GHz) 7.25% are obtained
analysis is conducted by placing various AMC-MS configura- with and without AMC. An enhancement of ARBW by merg-
tions below the radiator antenna. For analysis purposes, the ing two AR bands is observed when the antenna is loaded
spacing between AMC-MS and the main antenna is chosen with AMC-MS. The first AR band is due to the combination

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E-Vector E-Vector (dB)

5.85
4.02
2.93
1.83
Prop.Dir. Prop.Dir. 0.732
–2.13
Theta Theta –8.54
–14.9
–21.3
Phi Phi –27.7
–34.1
x x
y y

z z

x x

(a) (b)

FIGURE 19. The simulated 3D radiation patterns at 3.5 GHz: (a) nontransparent and (b) transparent patterns with inside
antenna.

TABLE 4. A COMPARISON OF THE MEASURED PERFORMANCE OF THE PROPOSED AMC-MS-

LOADED ANTENNA WITH EXISTING AMC-, EBG-, RIS-, AND DIPOLE-LOADED ANTENNAS.
Overall Overall –10 dB FB
Frequency Antenna Electrical Antenna Number of Bandwidth ARBW Gain Ratio
Reference (GHz) Configuration Size (λ 03) Size (mm3) ka Unit Cells (%) (%) (dBi) (dB) Year
[20] 2.3 Square patch 0.77 × 0.77 100 × 100 3.40 4×4 11.4 10.6 2.5-5.7 – 2011
with RIS × 0.06 × 7.5
[21] 2.41 Patch antenna 0.56 × 0.56 70 × 70 2.49 5×5 10.03 1 5.7 – 2012
with EBG × 0.02 × 2.5
[22] 4 Patch with loaded 0.52 × 0.60 39.3 × 45.7 2.53 3×3 16 9.68 >5.5 >15 2016
with IDC AMC × 0.07 × 5.5
[23] 2.53 Circular disc array 1.68 × 1.68 200 × 200 7.5 2×2 13.86 3.7 3.9 – 2012
× 0.07 × 8.2
[24] 2.56, Dual band, dual 0.88 × 0.88 104 × 104 3.95 4×4 15.6, – 7.2, 7.3 – 2017
5.37 polarized patch × 0.09 × 11 9.3
with AMC
[25] 1.57 Crossed dipoles 0.64 × 0.64 123 × 123 2.85 5×5 1 1.26 7 – 2017
with square AMC × 0.05 × 9.50
[26] 1.12 Patch with cavity 0.37 × 0.37 100 × 100 1.65 – 0.9 3.7 2.95 10 2012
backed annular slot × 0.08 × 21.6
[27] 1.58 Printed dipole 0.72 × 0.72 137 × 137 3.47 – 10.7 10.7 5.2-5.6 – 2011
antenna × 0.43 × 82
[28] 1.51 Magneto-electric 0.90 × 0.90 180 × 180 4.11 – 17.8 3.6 8.2 – 2017
dipole × 0.25 × 51
[29] 3.12 Dipole with MTM 2.14 × 1.66 206 × 160 8.61 10 × 10 3.52 – 10 12 2018
absorber × 0.15 × 14
Proposed 3.5 ENG-TL with C-SSR 0.51 × 0.51 44 × 44 2.27 5×5 16.36 11.93 5.62 18 –
loaded with AMC × 0.16 × 14.8
Note: In references [20]–[23], [25], and [27]–[29], the overall electrical size and overall antenna size are not directly given, and they are roughly calculated
according to the presented antenna dimensions. In the case of multiband antenna design in [24] and [26], the antenna’s overall electrical size is calcu-
lated based on the first resonance frequency.

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TABLE 5. A COMPARISON OF MEASURED
RESULTS WITH AND WITHOUT AMC-MS.
ENG-TL Single ENG-TL Antenna
Antenna Parameters Antenna With AMC-MS
Frequency (GHz) 3.56 3.5
3
Antenna size (mm ) 32 × 22 × 1.6 44 × 44 × 14.8
Impedance 15.44 16.36
bandwidth (%)
ARBW (%) 7.25 11.93
Gain (dBic) 2.72 5.62
FB ratio (dB) – 18
Radiation pattern Bidirectional Unidirectional
of ENG-TL and C-SSR and the second AR band is generated
due to the orthogonal modes created inside the cavity formed
by AMC-MS and the radiator antenna [38]. The AR band due
to the radiating antenna at 3.4 GHz and the AR band due to the
cavity 3.65 GHz are close to each other, forming a wider ARBW.
Figure 17(c) depicts the measured and simulated gain with
and without AMC-MS loading. A measured gain of 5.62 dBic
and 2.72 dBic is observed with and without AMC-MS loading.
Hence, a gain enhancement of 2.9 dBic is obtained with the
loading of compact AMC-MS depicted in Figure 11(f). The
simulated radiation efficiency with and without AMC-MS is
depicted in Figure 17(d). Radiation efficiency is greater than
62.1% for the entire operating frequency range and average
efficiency of 72.1% is obtained when the antenna is loaded
with AMC-MS. An average efficiency of 80% is observed with-
out AMC-MS loading. Figure 18(a)–(c) depicts the LHCP and
RHCP patterns in the yz- and xz-planes at 3.4 GHz, 3.5 GHz,
and 3.6 GHz, respectively. The patterns are almost consistent
throughout the entire operating frequency band in both the
planes and antenna shows LHCP radiation along the +Z direc-
tion. Here a small tilting is observed in the patterns at 3.5 GHz
and 3.6 GHz due to the asymmetrical geometry of the radiator
antenna. Figure 19(a) and (b) shows the simulated 3D pattern
of the antenna in the nontransparent and transparent forms at
3.5 GHz. Note that, due to the AMC-MS, most of the radia-
tion toward the backside is reduced. The FB ratio is increased
and the antenna becomes more directive.
Table 4 describes the comparison between the intended
antenna and similar kind of antennas existing in the literature.
Better results are obtained with the intended antenna when
compared with existing antennas in [20]–[29]. Table 5 describes
a comparative study of measured results with and without
AMC-MS. These results demonstrate that the antenna is capa-
ble of providing enhanced ARBW, improved gain, and good FB
ratio by maintaining compactness.
CONCLUSIONS
A compact, bandwidth-enhanced CP MTM antenna based on
ENG-TL and C-SSR has been designed and experimentally
18
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verified. The proposed AMC-MS is designed for enhancing the
antenna radiation characteristics and maintaining the compact-
ness of antennas compared to the existing MS antenna designs
in literature. Also, image theory analysis is done for finding the
active input impedance of the antenna. By using the intended
AMC-MS, a size reduction of 38.7% can be obtained when
compared with conventional AMC-MS. Also, detailed investiga-
tion and analysis are conducted for deciding the best AMC-MS
configuration for getting optimum results in effective manner.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by the Science and Engineering
Research Board, Department of Science and Technology, Gov-
ernment of India under grant EEQ/2016/000023.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Mohammad Ameen (mohammadmn61@gmail.com) is pursuing
his Ph.D. degree in radio frequencies and microwaves from the
Department of Electronics Engineering, Indian Institute of
Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad. His current
research interests are metamaterial circularly polarized antennas
and its applications. He is a Graduate Student Member of the
IEEE.
Raghvendra Kumar Chaudhary (raghvendra.chaudhary@
gmail.com) is an assistant professor in the Department of Elec-
tronics Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian
School of Mines), Dhanbad. His research interests include
metamaterials and dielectric resonators. He is a Senior Member
of the IEEE and International Union of Radio Science.
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