IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 58, NO.

5, MAY 2010

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Modal Analysis and Design of Band-Notched UWB Planar Monopole Antennas

Eva Antonino-Daviu, Member, IEEE, Marta Cabedo-Fabrs, Member, IEEE, Miguel Ferrando-Bataller, Member, IEEE, and Vicent Miquel Rodrigo Pearrocha

AbstractThe theory of characteristic modes is proposed for the analysis of simple band-notched UWB planar monopole antennas, since the information provided by these real modes (i.e. resonant frequency and radiating bandwidth) provides a very interesting physical insight into the radiation phenomena taking place in this type of antennas. Such an in-depth understanding paves the way for the proposal of novel designs of UWB antennas with increased functionality, through the control of the excitation and resonance of specic modes. Modal analysis of band-notched UWB antennas illustrates the existence of resonant modes linked to the embedded narrowband slot structure (slot modes), whose location within the planar geometry of the monopole determines the effect over the rest of the radiating modes of the wideband structure, and consequently, over the behavior of the antenna. By electronically controlling the excitation of the rst slot mode, an UWB antenna with switchable band-notched behavior is proposed. Similarly, a tunable band-notched UWB antenna can be proposed by controlling the resonance of this slot mode. Prototypes for both the switchable and tunable band-notched antenna have been fabricated and measured, demonstrating the expected behavior. The understanding of the radiating behavior of this type of antennas can be easily extrapolated to other congurations, such as coplanar band-notched UWB antennas, which are more compact than the designs presented here, and may help to propose other antennas of this type. Index TermsBand-notched, characteristic modes, planar monopole, ultrawideband (UWB).

I. INTRODUCTION N recent years, the use of narrowband resonators embedded in wide-band antennas has been signicantly extended. More precisely, resonant slots embedded in wideband planar monopole antennas have focused much attention lately, due to the fact that the insertion of the narrowband slot has proved to produce a frequency-notch feature in the antenna response [1][6]. This feature is especially interesting in planar monopole antennas used for ultrawideband (UWB) systems. These antennas have emerged as excellent candidates to operate in UWB systems, since they cover the required frequency range (from 3.1

Manuscript received January 19, 2009; revised October 13, 2009; accepted November 08, 2009. Date of publication March 01, 2010; current of version May 05, 2010. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologa under project TEC2007-66698-C04-03/TCM. The authors are with the Institute of Telecommunications and Multimedia Applications (iTEAM), Universidad Politcnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain (e-mail: evanda@upvnet.upv.es; eva.antonino@gmail. com; marcafab@dcom.upv.es; mferrand@dcom.upv.es; vrodrigo@dcom.upv. es). Color versions of one or more of the gures in this paper are available online at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org. Digital Object Identier 10.1109/TAP.2010.2044323

to 10.6 GHz) while presenting a low-cost and a very compact structure [7]. Moreover, this kind of antennas satisfactorily complies with the time-domain requirements of UWB systems. However, several frequency bands for narrowband technologies have been allocated within the UWB frequency range, such as wireless LAN at the 5.2 GHz (5150 GHz5350 MHz) and 5.8 GHz (57255825 MHz) bands, which might potentially interfere with the UWB system. Hence, the possibility of providing a frequency-notched characteristic in the antenna itself to mitigate the unwanted interference from wireless LAN systems results extraordinarily attractive. Several authors have recently proposed numerous designs of UWB antennas including this feature [1][6], which is usually accomplished by inserting a narrowband resonant slot in the antenna planar geometry, and by properly adjusting its length in order to make it resonant at the desired ltering frequency. Nevertheless, mostly experimental results are usually presented in the literature, with scarce detailed explanation about the coupling phenomena taking place between the wideband and narrowband structures. In [3], different conceptual equivalent-circuit models have been presented for wideband planar monopole antennas with dual band-notched characteristics, where the electromagnetic behavior of different narrowband structures has been fully characterized. However, further information about the interaction between the wideband and narrowband structures (e.g., anticipating the effect of the location of the slot) can be obtained by means of an innovative approach based on the Theory of Characteristic Modes. This paper is devoted to apply characteristic modes analysis to provide an in-depth physical insight into the behavior of UWB antennas with band-notched characteristics and subsequently improve its performance and functionality. The theory of characteristic modes, rst developed by Garbacz [8] and later rened by Harrington and Mautz in the seventies [9], [10], was originally applied to antenna shape synthesis [11], [12] and control of obstacle scattering by reactive loading [13]. However, this theory practically fell into disuse later, in spite of the fact that it leads to modal solutions even for arbitrary shapes, which is particularly useful in problems involving analysis, synthesis and optimization of antennas and scatterers [14][16]. Recently, the theory has been revisited for the design of diverse wire and planar antennas for modern applications [17]. The understanding of the behavior of wideband antennas with narrowband embedded resonators allows, on the one hand, to understand and anticipate the effect of the location of the narrowband resonators within the UWB antenna planar surface,

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and, on the other hand, to propose novel designs based on controlling the excitation and resonance of the narrowband structure resonance. Thus, a further step in the design of UWB antennas with band-notched characteristic will consist in using active devices to control these resonances. The paper is organized as follows. Section II reviews briey the basics of the Theory of Characteristic Modes, which are used in Section III to analyze the performance of a simple UWB planar monopole antenna. In this section, the effect of the insertion of a narrowband resonator within the planar geometry of the antenna is explained using the modal approach, which provides a novel physical insight into the behavior of the bandnotched antenna. Section IV and Section V propose innovative designs of band-notched UWB planar monopole antennas with increased functionality, based on the control of the slot mode excitation (Section IV) and its resonance (Section V). Prototypes of the antennas proposed in these two sections have been fabricated and measured to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposals. Finally, Section VI summarizes the main conclusions of the paper. II. BRIEF REVIEW OF THE THEORY OF CHARACTERISTIC MODES are As presented in [9] and [10], characteristic modes real current modes that can be extracted numerically at every frequency for arbitrarily shaped conducting bodies by solving the following eigenvalue problem (1) are the eigenvalues, are the eigenfuncions or charwhere acteristic currents, and and are the real and imaginary parts a of generalized impedance matrix of the body, which is obtained by the direct application of Method of Moments [10]. As inferred from (1), characteristic modes depend only on the shape and size of the conducting body, and since they constitute a set of real orthogonal functions, they can be used to expand the total current on the surface of the antenna as [9] (2) An important term in (2) is coefcient, and dened as , known as the modal excitation (3) which models the coupling between the excitation and the nth mode, and determines which modes will be excited by the antenna feed or incident eld. , the However, the total current in (2) also depends on eigenvalue associated to the nth characteristic current mode. Eigenvalues are of utmost importance because its magnitude provides information about the resonance frequency and radiating properties of the different current modes. In general, eigenrange from to . Considering a mode at resvalues onance when its associated eigenvalue is zero [9], it can be inferred that the smaller the magnitude of the eigenvalue is, the more efciently the mode radiates when excited. Additionally,

the sign of the eigenvalue determines whether the mode conor electric energy tributes to store magnetic energy . Alternatively, a more intuitive representation of the eigenvalues can be used, namely the so-called characteristic angles, which are dened as [18] (4) From a physical point of view, a characteristic angle models the phase angle between a characteristic current and its associ, thus, ated characteristic eld. A mode resonates when is 180 . Therefore, when the when its characteristic angle characteristic angle is close to 180 the mode behaves as a good radiator, whereas modes with characteristic angles near 90 or 270 mainly store energy. As observed in (2) and (3), excitation of characteristic modes depends on the degree of coupling between the source and the characteristic mode. In order to quantify the contribution of each of the antenna can be computed. mode, the input admittance For a voltage excitation of 1 V, the input admittance of the antenna can easily be calculated from (2), as the total current sampled at the feeding point : (5) which can be expressed in terms of the complex admittances of each mode , as follows:

(6) Therefore, the contribution of each mode to the behavior of the antenna can be analyzed by means of the modal admittances, as presented in the next section. III. MODAL ANALYSIS OF UWB PLANAR MONOPOLE ANTENNAS In this section, characteristic modes of an UWB planar monopole antenna with and without an embedded resonator are analyzed. For the analysis, the antenna presented in [2] with a beveled square shape is chosen due to its simple geometry and UWB behavior. The physical understanding of the behavior of the antenna will allow to propose novel designs, as shown in next section. A. Characteristic Modes of a Beveled Square Planar Monopole Antenna The geometry of the beveled square planar monopole antenna and its reection coefcient computed at the input port are shown in Fig. 1, where it can be observed that the UWB range of frequencies is covered. Fig. 2 shows the normalized current distribution for the rst four characteristic modes of this beveled square planar monopole antenna in free space. For this case, computation of four modes is enough to describe the behavior is a special of the antenna. As observed in the gure, mode

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Fig. 1. Geometry of a beveled square planar monopole (L = 19 h = 0:2 mm) and computed reection coefcient at the input port.

mm and
Fig. 3. Characteristic angle variation with frequency for the rst four characteristic modes of the beveled square planar monopole antenna.

TABLE I RESONANT FREQUENCY

Resonant Frequency for the First Four Characteristic Modes of the Beveled Square Planar Monopole Antenna, in Free Space

Fig. 2. Normalized current distribution for the rst four characteristic modes of the beveled square planar monopole antenna, at a frequency near the resonance of each mode (in brackets).

non-resonant inductive mode whose currents form a close loop presents vertical current ow on the planar surface. Mode along the monopole, with intense currents at the feeding strip, whereas mode can be identied by horizontal current owing parallel to the ground plane. Mode is a higher order mode that exhibits vertical currents, with a current null near the base of the monopole, and intense current on the side edges of the structure. An analysis of the variation with frequency of characteristic current distribution would reveal that this current null moves towards the top of the monopole as the freof mode quency increases. Fig. 3 presents the variation with frequency of the characassociated to the rst four current modes of teristic angle the beveled square planar monopole. As it can be observed, never achieves the resonance condition , mode since the characteristic angle remains in the inductive region at all frequencies. Generally, characteristic modes which forms loops in the structure, like mode , are special modes that do not resonate and present pure inductive behavior

[17]. For the rest of the modes, their associated resonant frequency is resumed in Table I. , when Fig. 4 shows the computed modal admittances the monopole is fed with a voltage gap generator centered at its has base. The total admittance calculated at the input port also been represented in the gure, so as to facilitate the identication of the contribution of each mode to the total input admittance. As observed, the voltage difference created at the vertical strip in the base of the monopole favors the excitation of vertical and , within the considered range of frecurrent modes quencies. As observed in the gure, each mode becomes more signicant in the range of frequencies near its resonance, being the resonances of the structure those associated to the modes. to mode is achieved, Since a good transition from mode a very large bandwidth is obtained. Moreover, in case another feeding conguration was selected (for instance, an off-centered feeding source), a different combination of modes would be excited and hence other response of the antenna would be obtained. B. Characteristic Modes of a Band-Notched Beveled Square Planar Monopole Antenna The geometry of the band-notched antenna is shown in Fig. 5. As depicted in the gure, a thin slot with an inverted-U shape is etched in the interior of the radiating element in order to generate an additional resonance in the structure. Dimensions of the antenna have been optimized for band-notched UWB behavior [2]. The response of the antenna has been calculated by means

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Fig. 4. Contribution of the modal admittances (Y ) to the input admittance (Y ), for the beveled square planar monopole antenna.

quency of the notched band is determined by the dimensions of the slot, as follows [6]: (7) where is the speed of light. Therefore, by adjusting the dimensions of the slot the notched band can be shifted to the desired frequency. Fig. 7 shows the normalized current distribution for the rst ve characteristic modes of the beveled square planar monopole with an embedded slot. In Fig. 8, diagrams representing schematically the current distribution of these modes are depicted for better understanding. According to this gure, and present a current distribution very modes , , similar to that exhibited by the modes associated to the traditional beveled square planar monopole antenna. In this case, the location of the slot has been adjusted to minimize disturbance on these modal current distributions. Nevertheless, as observed, the presence of the slot produces an additional resonant mode in the structure, called slot mode, which is responsible for the degradation of the input impedance of the antenna at certain frequencies, i.e., within the notched frequency band. In Fig. 9, the characteristic angle variation with frequency for the rst characteristic modes is represented, both for the exslot-free and the slotted monopole. As observed, mode hibits similar radiating behavior and resonant frequency in both monopoles. The same occurs for mode . From the current distribution of these two modes in both structures (Fig. 2 and Fig. 7), it is possible to deduce that this low distortion of the and is caused by the opcurrent distribution of modes timal location of the slot in a position within the structure, where the modal current is not signicantly altered. Note that modes with low currents at the position of the slot will not be signicantly affected by the slot, whereas those with intense currents will be notably inuenced. In this latter case, if these modes are excited in the antenna the notched band may be increased consequently. This is conrmed by the parametric study carried out in [7]. Therefore, for modes and , the height of the slot, measured from the ground plane, is critical to avoid disturbing excessively their current distribution. These modes present a very

Fig. 5. Geometry of the beveled square planar monopole loaded with a resonant slot (L = 19 mm, l = 10 mm, l = 8 mm, t = 1 mm, h = 4 mm, h = 0:2 mm).

Fig. 6. Reection coefcient of the antenna shown in Fig. 5, where the bandnotched behavior can be observed.

of a self-developed electromagnetic simulation tool based on the Method of Moments. The computed reection coefcient is depicted in Fig. 6, where it is possible to observe that a rejected band is generated within the operating bandwidth of the antenna, due to the resonance of the embedded slot. Thus, the center fre-

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Fig. 7. First ve characteristic modes of the beveled square planar monopole antenna loaded with a thin inverted-U shape slot, at a frequency near the resonance of each mode.

Fig. 8. Diagrams of the modal current distributions in the beveled square planar monopole antenna loaded with a thin inverted-U shape slot (black dots refer to nulls of current).

intense current at the base of the monopole, whose value decreases gradually as it ows away. In consequence, these modes would be intensely affected by the presence of the slot near the base of the monopole, and hence the effect of the notched band would become stronger, as shown in [7]. Furthermore, as mode does not present a very intense current distribution at the central part of the planar surface, its behavior is not affected either by the insertion of the slot. In contrast, the presence of the slot affects the characteristic angle associated to mode , leading to a decrease of its resonant frequency, due to the current meandering produced by the slot. Finally, the presence of the slot mode in the slotted structure can clearly be noticed in the gure. The curve of the characteristic angle associated to this mode presents a very steep slope, what entails a narrowband behavior for this mode. Moreover, it can also be noted that its resonant frequency coincides with the center of the rejected band, as expected. Within the analyzed frequency range, only the rst resonant mode of the slot appears. However, there exist higher order slot

Fig. 9. Characteristic angle variation with frequency for the rst characteristic modes of the beveled square planar monopole antenna, with and without slot.

modes produced by the successive higher order resonances of the slot, which lie beyond this frequency range. When the slotted monopole is fed at its base, the modal admittances and total admittance shown in Fig. 10 are obtained. As it can be seen, both in the real and imaginary parts of the dominates at lower frequencies, up to 5 admittances, mode GHz. Suddenly, at 5.5 GHz, the slot mode appears and provokes an abrupt anti-resonance (dened according to [19]), due to the strong inductive behavior exhibited by this mode after its resonance. As observed, since the slot mode presents a narrow band, its inuence on the total admittance is reduced to a short range of frequencies. Finally, after the resonance of the slot mode, mode is excited. Therefore, the sudden appearance of the narrowband slot mode provokes a strong perturbation in the curve of the input

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Fig. 10. Contribution of the modal admittances (Y ) to the input admittance (Y ), for the beveled square planar monopole antenna loaded with an inverted-U shape slot.

Fig. 11. Comparison of the input impedance of the beveled square planar monopole antenna with and without band-notched behavior.

Fig. 12. Geometry of the beveled square planar monopole antenna with a quasisquare slot ring embedded in its planar surface (L = 19 mm; l = l = 8 mm; t = 2 mm;  = 20 ).

admittance, which leads to a mismatch in a frequency range near the resonant frequency of the slot mode. In Fig. 11, a comparison of the input impedance of the antenna with and without slot is depicted, clearly showing the effect of the slot mode. As observed, the resonance of the slot causes the resistance at the input port to suddenly decrease, due to the increment of current intensity produced by the slot resonance [also shown in [3], Fig. 7(b)], and provokes a mismatch in the input impedance. IV. CONTROL OF THE SLOT MODE EXCITATION As shown, the resonance of the slot embedded within the planar antenna is the responsible of its band-notched behavior. Usually, the slot takes an inverted-U shape, allowing this compact structure to achieve the rejection of frequencies within the operating band of the antenna. In Fig. 12, an alternative shape for the slot is proposed, with the purpose of being able to control the excitation of the slot mode. In this case, the slot consists of a quasi-square ring with the dimensions shown in the gure. As portrayed in the gure, a strip has been inserted in the upper part of the slot ring, and thus the slot mode can be excited by allowing the passage of current to the internal part of the slot. Fig. 13 shows the VSWR obtained with CST Microwave Studio for this structure (solid line). As observed, the slot dimensions have been adjusted to introduce a band-notch around 5.5 GHz.

Fig. 13. Simulated VSWR for the structure shown in Fig. 12 (solid curve) and for the same antenna without the strip at the top of the slot (dotted line).

Nevertheless, if the strip accounting for the excitation of the slot is eliminated, the slot resonance is prevented, and hence no band-notched feature is produced and no frequency band is rejected, as it can be observed in the dotted curve of Fig. 13. Therefore, the excitation of the slot mode and consequently its effect on the behavior of the UWB antenna can be controlled through the proposed technique. Fig. 14 shows the normalized current distribution obtained with CST Microwave Studio, at 5.5 GHz, for the cases when

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Fig. 14. Normalized total current distribution at 5.5 GHz obtained with CST Microwave Studio, for a beveled square planar monopole antenna loaded with a square slot ring, where the (a) slot mode is fed; (b) slot mode is not fed.

the slot mode is fed and when it is not. As shown in this gure, when the strip is not inserted, the excitation of the slot mode, and hence the slot resonance, is prevented, and the normal surface current distribution of the planar monopole is practically not disturbed. In contrast, when exciting the slot mode, a strong resonance is provoked at 5.5 GHz, which alters the current distribution within the planar surface of the monopole, what in turn translates into a degradation of the input impedance, as shown in the previous section. It must also be noted that only the rst resonance of the slot occurs, when the length of its external perimeter is approxi. Nevertheless, higher order resonances of the slot mately are not coupled in the structure due to the symmetry imposed by the excitation of the planar monopole antenna. As the freand successive higher order modes quency increases, mode are excited in the UWB antenna, but the excitation of the antenna prevents the coupling of higher order slot modes. A. Insertion of Active Devices to Control the Slot Mode Excitation Based on the previous analysis, it is clear that the functionality of UWB planar monopole antennas with band-notched behavior can be signicantly improved if the excitation of the slot mode is electronically controlled. Electronic control of the slot mode excitation can be accomplished by means of an RF switching device that controls the ow of current to the inner part of the slot. Therefore, the antenna ltering capability can be further improved by making this band-notched behavior switchable [20], [21]. Since the existence of interfering systems depends on the antenna environment, the ltering function exhibited by UWB antennas with xed band-notched behavior might not be necessary in some cases. In this case, depending on whether interference from other systems is present, the antenna ltering feature can be activated at will. Therefore, replacing the strip located in the upper part of the slot (Fig. 12) by a switching device, control over the presence of the slot resonance can be gained. On the one hand, when the switch is in ON state, and assuming an ideal shunt for this switching state, the antenna behavior is the same as that observed for the solid line in Fig. 13, where the slot mode is excited and a rejected band is generated. On the other hand, when the switch is in OFF state, the band rejection is prevented (see dotted line in Fig. 13).

Fig. 15. Geometry of the UWB planar monopole antenna with a rectangular slot ring loaded with a PIN diode, and the RF-DC isolation network (L = 19 mm, h = 0:2 mm,  = 23 , L = 10:2 mm, W = 9:2 mm, l = 3:5 mm, l = 5:1 mm, l = 0:3 mm). Gray color corresponds to the back side of the antenna.

B. Implementation of the Switch by Means of a PIN Diode In principle, the implementation of the RF switch can be carried out by means of a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) or a high frequency PIN diode. MEMS switches, which are being increasingly applied to antenna design [22][24], constitute an appealing alternative, since they offer very low power consumption and ohmic losses [25], and they can prevent the need for DC bias lines [26]. However, their commercial cost is high compared to PIN diodes, which present low-cost, reliability, compact size, and small resistance and capacitance in both the ON and OFF states. Several recent recongurable antennas based on the use of PIN diodes can also be found in the literature, dealing mainly with slot antennas [27], [28] and microstrip antennas [29], [30]. Thus, due to their lower cost, PIN diodes have been chosen for the application under study. Therefore, the nal geometry of the antenna with a microstrip RF-DC isolation network etched on the back side of the substrate is depicted in Fig. 15. A via hole in the inner square pad is used to connect both sides of the antenna, and an SMD resistor is used to limit the biasing current through the PIN diode. In Fig. 16, the optimized scattering parameters of the isolation network are represented, where good isolation between RF and DC ports at 5.5 GHz can be observed. The whole geometry has been simulated with CST Microwave Studio in order to take into account possible coupling effects between the isolation network and the slotted planar monopole antenna. The dimensions of the slot have been adjusted to cause a band rejection at 5.5 GHz. C. Results for the UWB Antenna With Switchable Band-Notched Behavior A prototype for the proposed UWB antenna with switchable band-notched behavior has been fabricated. A high frequency silicon PIN diode from Inneon Technologies (BAR50-02V) was selected for the prototype. The compact size of the selected PIN diode simplies its placement on the planar monopole surface, and its small resistance and capacitance in the ON and OFF

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Fig. 16. (a) Geometry of the RF-DC isolation microstrip circuit. (b) S parameters simulated with Microwave Ofce (the structure is symmetric).

Fig. 17. (a) Measured reection coefcient for different bias voltages and comparison with CST Microwave Studio simulation; (b) Measured gain (dBi) vs. frequency.

states, together with its operative frequency range, have been essential for its selection. Fig. 17(a) shows the reection coefcient measured for different bias voltages applied to the PIN diode. As expected, ltering around 5.5 GHz only occurs when the diode is polarized ; otherwise, the effect of the slot is forward practically negligible. However, the small resistance (around 3 ) exhibited by the diode in the ON state considerably affects

the intensity of the band rejection. It has been experimentally observed that the slot width affects the intensity of the band rejection. As presented in Fig. 8 of [27], the ON state resistance of the PIN diode notably inuences the slot resonance and hence the ltering effect. It has been observed that the slot width can be increased to counteract the ON state resistance effect, leading to a better frequency rejection. The nal prototype presented has been already optimized to avoid this effect. In the reverse state, the PIN diode exhibits a small capacitance (typically 0.15 pF), which does not signicantly alter the antenna response. Moreover, comparison with simulated results shows a rather good agreement. Measurements of the antenna gain in the entire operating band have also been performed, which are shown in Fig. 17(b). As observed, a sharp gain decrease is obtained at the rejected frequency, as desired. The measured radiation patterns at 4, 8 and 11 GHz for the XY and YZ planes are shown in Fig. 18. As desired, quasiomnidirectional radiation patterns are obtained in the azimuth plane. Therefore, the insertion of the printed RF-DC isolation network on the back side of the antenna does not signicantly alter the radiation patterns of the planar monopole antenna. The provided results clearly show that electronically controlling the activation of the slot mode can notably increase the functionality of this kind of antennas. No design of this type applied to wideband planar monopole antennas has been found in the literature, except in [31], where a similar idea was developed. However, in this reference another concept is applied, based on the usage of a PIN diode not to feed the slot, but to change its electric length and generate a resonance outside the operating band of the antenna. In that proposal, the antenna produces a band rejection in the OFF state, which can be avoided when the diode is switched on. For practical applications, the opposite behavior would probably be more interesting, since interferences are more rarely to occur than otherwise. This is, in contrast, the behavior offered by the design proposed in this section. V. CONTROL OF THE SLOT MODE RESONANCE As proposed by Harrington in [13] and [14], reactive loading can be used to control the resonant frequency of characteristic

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Fig. 19. Geometry of the band-notched planar monopole antenna with a slot loaded with a variable capacitor.

Fig. 20. Measured reection coefcient of the proposed antenna for different bias voltages.

Fig. 18. Measured radiation patterns in the XY and ZY plane for the proposed antenna, (a) at 4 GHz; (b) at 8 GHz and (c) at 11 GHz.

modes. When discrete loads are strategically placed on the structure, the resonant frequency of those modes whose current distribution is affected by the loads can be modied, whereas the effect over the rest of characteristic modes whose current distribution is not altered will be minimized. Accordingly, the resonant frequency of the slot mode can be adjusted by loading the slot with a reactance, while the rest of the modes of the planar monopole structure will not be significantly modied. Moreover, if a variable reactance is used, as shown in Fig. 19, a much more precise control of the resonant frequency of the slot can be gained, and the rejected band can hence be tuned electronically. Consequently, the functionality of the antenna can be again notably increased. Depending on the selected values of the reactance, the resonant frequency of the embedded slot changes, allowing for adjustment of the band-rejection within the UWB frequency range. In order to electronically control the capacitance value, a varactor diode can be used [32], [33]. Therefore, a similar structure to the one presented in the previous section can be used to obtain an UWB antenna with tun-

able band-notched behavior [34]. In this case, the PIN diode must be substituted by a varactor diode, and the applied reverse DC voltage is used to control the capacitance value. A prototype of the antenna has been again fabricated, using a high quality varactor diode with a tuning range of 0.5 to 2.1 pF for (model MA46H200 from Tyco Elec20 tronics). The back-side printed circuit allows to achieve RF-DC isolation for a wide frequency range [see Fig. 16(b)], as needed for the tuning frequency range of the antenna. A. Results for the UWB Antenna With Tunable Band-Notched Behavior The reection coefcient of the prototype measured for different bias voltages is depicted in Fig. 20. As observed, the ltering frequency can electronically be tuned by adjusting the reverse bias voltage applied to the varactor. By increasing the DC bias voltage from 0 to 20 V, the capacitance value decreases and the notch band is shifted up from 4.6 GHz to 6.2 GHz. The tuning range for the rejected frequency obtained is thus rather large, and it is even broader than expected from the simulated results. Radiation patterns and gain have also been measured, at different frequencies and for different bias voltages. Results obtained for different control voltages can be found in [34]. As in the previous case, quasi-omnidirecctional radiation patterns in the XY plane are obtained within the whole frequency range

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and a sharp gain decrease is achieved at the tuned rejected frequency. Furthermore, in [34] the group delay has also been measured, obtaining very satisfactory results. VI. CONCLUSION Characteristic modes have been used to analyze the behavior of an UWB antenna with a narrowband slot embedded in its planar geometry. In contrast to the pure experimental results often provided by other authors, a physical explanation of the effect of the slot resonance coupled to the antenna modes has been provided, by means of modal analysis and the study of the excitation of the different modes. Thus, the physical understanding of the effect of the narrowband resonator may allow to anticipate the effect of the location of one or more slots within the planar geometry of the antenna, and to propose novel designs with increased functionality. It has been shown that the notched-band is caused by the slot resonance, and the intensity of the rejection depends on how much the current distribution of the different antenna modes is disturbed. Thus, modes with low currents at the position of the slot will not be signicantly affected by the slot, whereas those with intense currents will be very much inuenced. Therefore, the more altered the current distribution of modes excited in the antenna is, the stronger the band rejection will be. Moreover, by electronically controlling the excitation of the slot mode in the planar antenna, the functionality of the wideband antenna with band-notched behavior can be hugely increased, implementing an UWB antenna with switchable bandnotched behavior. Depending on the presence or absence of interfering signals in the antenna operating environment, the ltering function in the antenna can be enabled or disabled electronically. It has also been demonstrated that reactive loading can be used in the slot to control its resonance frequency. If a variable capacitor is inserted in the slot, its resonant mode can be electronically controlled, in turn obtaining an UWB antenna with tunable band-notched behavior. In case of inaccuracies during the fabrication process of the antenna or in case of unexpected interferences, the band-notched lter integrated in the antenna can be tuned to the desired frequency. The idea of loading the slot with an active device to control the frequency rejection can be straightforwardly extended to those monopoles whose structure is coplanar to the ground plane and are hence more compact. REFERENCES
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Marta Cabedo-Fabrs (M07) was born in Valencia, Spain, on June 8, 1976. She received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Universidad Politcnica de Valencia, Spain, in 2001 and 2007, respectively. In 2001, she joined the Electromagnetic Radiation Group at Universidad Politcnica de Valencia (UPV), as a Research Assistant. In 2004, she became an Associate Professor in the Communications Department, Universidad Politcnica de Valencia. Her current scientic interests include numerical methods for solving electromagnetic problems, and design and optimization techniques for wideband and multiband antennas.

Eva Antonino-Daviu (M00) was born in Valencia, Spain, on July 10, 1978. She received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Universidad Politcnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain, in 2002 and 2008, respectively. In 2002, she joined the Electromagnetic Radiation Group, Universidad Politcnica de Valencia, and in 2005 she became a Lecturer at the Escuela Politcnia Superior de Gandia, Gandia, Spain. During 2005, she stayed for several months as a guest researcher at the Department of Antennas & EM Modelling of IMST GmbH, in Kamp-Lintfort, Germany. Her current research interests include wideband and multi-band planar antenna design and optimization and computational methods for printed structures. Dr. Antonino-Daviu was awarded the Premio Extraordinario de Tesis Doctoral (Best Ph.D. thesis) from the Universidad Politcnica de Valencia in 2008.

Miguel Ferrando-Bataller (S81M83) was born in Alcoy, Spain, in 1954. He received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in telecommunication engineering from the Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, in 1977 and 1982, respectively. From 1977 to 1982, he was a Teaching Assistant with the Antennas, Microwave, and Radar Group, Universidad Politcnica de Catalunya, and in 1982 he became an Associate Professor. In 1990, he joined the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain, where he was Director of the Telecommunication Engineering School and Vice-Chancellor. He is currently Director of Long-life learning Ofce and Professor of antennas and satellite communications. His current research interest includes numerical methods, antenna design and e-learning activities.

Vicent Miquel Rodrigo Pearrocha was born in Valencia, Spain, on September 29, 1966. He received the Ingeniero de Telecomunicacin degree from the Universidad Politcnica de Madrid (UPM), Madrid, Spain, in 1990, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia in 2003. He joined the Departamento de Comunicaciones at the Universidad Politcnica de Valencia in 1991 as a Lecturer. His current interests include antenna measurement, real and virtual instrumentation, radiowave propagation, and any educational activity.