Efficient Small Antennas

In this Phase I project Pharad proposes to investigate innovative new concepts for the creation of highly efficient electrically small antennas. We will investigate two key approaches: electrically small radiators that incorporate Slow Wave Engineering (SWE) concepts and efficient antenna matching configurations that utilize active components. Using these approaches will enable us to achieve the goals of this program and also establish potential limitations of the techniques. The techniques that will be investigated and demonstrated include new SWE-based printed antennas with significant size reduction; non-Foster based matching circuits for the small antenna; and switchable matching circuits for the small antenna. As part of our Phase I effort, the overall efficiency of using these active matching procedures will also be investigated. During this Phase I project we will undertake a thorough theoretical investigation of the proposed antenna and matching configurations, including modeling and optimization of the electromagnetic and circuit performance using our comprehensive suite of design tools, and the establishment of generic design trends for the structures. We will also fabricate proof-of-concept versions of the structures where appropriate. We will undertake measurements of the proposed prototype structures in order to verify their performance.