Printed MIMO-Antenna System Using Neutralization-Line Technique for Wireless USB-Dongle Applications

A printed two-multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)-antenna system incorporating a neutralization line for antenna port decoupling for wireless USB-dongle applications is proposed. The two monopoles are located on the two opposite corners of the system PCB and spaced apart by a small ground portion, which serves as a layout area for antenna feeding network and connectors for the use of standalone antennas as an optional scheme. It was found that by removing only 1.5 mm long inwards from the top edge in the small ground portion and connecting the two antennas therein with a thin printed line, the antenna port isolation can be effectively improved. The neutralization line in this study occupies very little board space, and the design requires no conventional modification to the ground plane for mitigating mutual coupling. The behavior of the neutralization line was rigorously analyzed, and the MIMO characteristics of the proposed antennas was also studied and tested in the reverberation chamber. Details of the constructed prototype are described and discussed in this paper.