Analysis of the coupled chassis-antenna modes in mobile handsets

Due to the development of electronics in the last decade, mobile terminals are becoming smaller and smaller. In the miniaturization process of terminals, the antenna is a critical element. The objective of this paper is to apply the characteristic mode theory, defined by Harrington and Mautz (1971), to identify the modes mentioned in Vainikainen et al. (2002) and consequently improve the design process of the antenna-chassis structure. The theory of characteristic modes brings a clear insight into the physical phenomena taking place in the structure and provides very useful information for the design.