Antenna and RF technologies for future wireless communications systems

Owing to spectrum scarcity, omnipresence of interference, size restrictions and cost limitations, the proliferation of wireless communications systems has posed several major challenges to antenna and RF designers. This calls for new antenna technologies and advanced RF receivers for future systems. In this paper, research activities in wireless communications at CSIRO will be presented. In particular, we will focus on two areas, namely, reconfigurable antennas and integrated receivers employing high temperature superconducting (HTS) devices. The former would ease the demand on antenna real estate and enhance system performance. The latter would increase the sensitivity of receivers, thus enabling low power operation, greater coverage and the employment of novel interference cancellation techniques.