Dual U-slot triple band microstrip patch antenna for next generation wireless networks

This paper presents a design, simulation and optimization study of a dual U-slot triple-band microstrip patch antenna. The designed antenna generates the triple frequency bands of 2.46GHz, 3.28GHz and 5.38GHz which can be used in the IEEE 802.16 WiMax and next generation wireless network applications. The achieved gains/bandwidths from the designed antenna for the WiMax bands are 4.2dBi/2.31%, 2.7dBi/2.41% and 1.5dBi/2.49% respectively. The proposed antenna is designed using FR4 substrate with transmission-line feeding method. A detailed simulation study is conducted to understand the behavior of the two U-slots. It can be seen from the proposed antenna design that every U-slot generates a separate resonance frequency. The third frequency band is generated, when both the U-slots are placed together in a single antenna element. A bridging element is also used to shift the three frequencies to lower bands. The proposed antenna is designed using Agilent ADS Momentum simulator. The E-plane and H-plane patterns in the results validates that the design is well-adapted to the desired triple-bands. The return loss (S₁₁) characteristics for the triple-bands are -18.74dB at 2.46GHz, -19.91 dB at 3.28GHz and -18.98dB at 5.38GHz respectively which suggest good antenna performance. The proposed antenna can be used in future as a template to form larger arrays.