3-D FDTD design analysis of a 2.4-GHz polarization-diversity printed dipole antenna with integrated balun and polarization-switching circuit for WLAN and wireless communication applications

Detailed numerical simulation, fabrication, and experimental measurements of a 2.4-GHz polarization-diversity printed dipole antenna are presented for wireless communication applications. Two orthogonal printed dipole antennas, each with a microstrip via-hole balun feeding structure, are combined and fabricated on an FR-4 printed-circuit-board substrate. A p-i-n diode circuit is used to switch and select the desired antenna polarization. In the antenna design simulation, a full-wave method of a three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is employed to analyze the entire structure of the printed antenna including the lumped elements of the polarization-selected p-i-n diode switching circuit. The Berenger perfectly matched layer absorbing-boundary condition is used for the FDTD computation. Numerical and measured results of antenna radiation characteristics, including input standing-wave ratio, radiation patterns, and polarization diversity are presented.