abstract: There is an ever-growing need for broadband conformal antennas to not only reduce the number of antennas utilized to cover a broad range of frequencies (VHF-UHF) but also to reduce visual and RF signatures associated with communication systems. In many applications antennas needs to be very close to low-impedance mediums or embedded inside low-impedance mediums. However, for conventional metal and dielectric antennas to operate efficiently in such environments either a very narrow bandwidth must be tolerated, or enough loss added to expand the bandwidth, or they must be placed one quarter of a wavelength above the conducting surface. The latter is not always possible since in the HF through low UHF bands, critical to Military and Security functions, this quarter-wavelength requirement would result in impractically large antennas. Despite an error based on a false assumption in the 1950’s, which had severely underestimated the efficiency of magneto-dielectric antennas, recently demonstrated magnetic-antennas have been shown to exhibit extraordinary efficiency in conformal applications. Whereas conventional metal-and-dielectric antennas carrying radiating electric currents suffer a significant disadvantage when placed conformal to the conducting surface of a platform, because they induce opposing image currents in the surface, magnetic-antennas carrying magnetic radiating currents have no such limitation. Their magnetic currents produce co-linear image currents in electrically conducting surfaces. However, the permeable antennas built to date have not yet attained the wide bandwidth expected because the magnetic-flux-channels carrying the wave have not been designed to guide the wave near the speed of light at all frequencies. Instead, they tend to lose the wave by a leaky fast-wave mechanism at low frequencies or they over-bind a slow-wave at high frequencies. In this dissertation, we have studied magnetic antennas in detail and presented the design approach and apparatus required to implement a flux-channel carrying the magnetic current wave near the speed of light over a very broad frequency range which also makes the design of a frequency independent antenna (spiral) possible. We will learn how to construct extremely thin conformal antennas, frequency-independent permeable antennas, and even micron-sized antennas that can be embedded inside the brain without damaging the tissue. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2017

[pt] Neste estudo faz-se uma análise do desempenho de antenas cônicas compactas para operar em largas bandas de freqüência. Esta análise será feita observando o comportamento da impedância da antena. Serão, primeiramente, consideradas as estruturas convencionais formadas por cones e cones sobrepostos próximos a um plano condutor. Posteriormente, será considerada uma estrutura cônica onde o arredondamento das bordas resulta em um comportamento mais uniforme para a impedância de entrada com variações da freqüência, conferindo um aumento na banda para esta configuração. / [en] The discone antenna is well known as an easy to build multioctave broadband antenna with a omnidirectional radiation pattern in the H-plane, It comprises a plane conductive disc element spaced close to and axially aligned with a conductive cone element. For applications in the UHF and microwave ranges, high performance antennas have been designed to operate from 0.5 to 5 GHz with a VSWR of about 3.5:1 or less. If the length is finite, the impedance still strongly dependent on apex angle as long as the cone is longer than about quarter of wavelength and the apex angle is relatively larger. A problem that is experienced with these antenna designs is the relatively large size required to operate at the low frequencies. In applications where utilization of this antenna. In this work, the analysis and design of these antenna is obtained by employing a rigorous formulation of the electromagnetic scattering problem. As a design tool, we employ Method of Moments for the analysis of rotationally symmetric structures excited by TEM mode. To properly account the variations in driven-point impedance with frequency, the coaxial waveguide used to feed the antenna is also included in the analysis. The excitation is simulated by a distribution of equivalent electric and magnetic currents placed inside the coaxial cable, over a cross-section plane. These currents are defined such that only excite the mode TEM towards the cable-antenna junction. These numerical tool is employed in the shaping the metallic surfaces involved in the discone-type antennas in order to obtain more compact structures. Simple solutions can be easily obtained making the center fed cone and the disc element with radially outer edge portions rolled backwardly and away from each other to form donut-shaped configurations. The ruled edges not only reduce the diameter of the antenna but also permit the current to flow around them smoothly and without reflections that degrade the VSWR at low end of the frequency band.

[pt] O projeto de antenas refletoras para a geração de feixes modelados envolve a construção de algoritmos baseados em métodos de análise eletromagnética associados a técnica de otimização. Em geral, estes algoritmos demandam considerável tempo de processamento computacional, impondo limites para sua utilização intensiva na exploração de diferentes conjuntos de especificações e na busca de soluções mais compactas. Neste trabalho, será considerada a síntese de antenas refletoras circularmente simétricas para a geração de feixes modelados circularmente simétricos. Em função das características de simetria da antena, simplificações serão introduzidas na formulação do problema, reduzindo substancialmente o tempo de processamento e viabilizando sua utilização intensiva. Para a análise eletromagnética da antena refletora serão consideradas as aproximações da Ótica Física (PO) e das correntes de franja (CF). Considerando alimentadores radiando um campo com dependência azimutal n=1, o algoritmo foi adaptado e aplicado no modelamento de antena refletora para atender as especificações do CBERS (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite). Para alimentadores com dependência azimutal n=0, foram considerados sistemas de antenas omnidirecionais de um e dois refletores para a geração de diagramas modelados no plano vertical. Para estes dois tipo de sistema, o algoritmo de modelamento foi utilizado para maximizar o diagrama em direção e para produzir diagramas com dependência do tipo cossecante ao quadrado no plano vertical. A validação da técnica de análise eletromagnética desenvolvida foi obtida comparando os resultados com os gerados via Métodos dos Momentos. / [en] The usual algorithms employed in the design of shaped reflector antennas for satellite applications embed an electromagnetic analysis method in an optimization technique. In general, these algorithms demand considerable computation time, limiting its intensive use in the study to explore different sets of specifications and to search for more compact geometries. In this work, it is considered the particular case of the shaping of circularly symmetric reflectors antennas for the generation of circularly symmetric radiation patterns. The use of the reflector surface properties simplifies the formulation of the electromagnetic scattering and substantially reduces the computer time involved in the optimization iteration. For the electromagnetic scattering, the algorithm employed here considers the approximations given by the Physical Optics and Fringe Currents methods. Firstly, the shaping algorithm was applied in the design of a single reflector antenna to comply with the specifications of the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS). For this case, the feed radiation pattern was represented by model with azimuthal dependence n=1. As a second case, the shaping algorithm was applied in the design of single and dual reflector omnidirectional antennas. Theses antennas were feed by a TEM coaxial horn with azimuthal dependence n=1. For these two type of antenna configurations, the modelling algorithm was used to maximize the diagram in one direction or to produce radiation patterns with dependence of the type cosecant to the square in the vertical plan. A Methods of Moments electromagnetic analysis was used to validate the scattering fields yielded by the PO+Fringe currents approximations.

Les antennes microruban et en particulier l’antenne microruban rectangulaire sont étudiées et utilisées depuis plusieurs dizaines d’années.<p>Comme pour toute antenne, il est important de disposer pour ces antennes d’un modèle analytique qui permette une bonne compréhension du fonctionnement et fournisse de manière rapide des valeurs pour les principaux paramètres (fréquence de travail, impédance, gain, rendement et bande passante).<p>Au fil des ans, deux modèles, chacun comprenant de nombreuses variantes, ont été développés :le modèle dit « de la ligne de transmission » et le modèle dit « de la cavité ». Ces modèles sont soit peu rigoureux, soit complexes et donnent souvent des résultats assez éloignés de la réalité.<p>L’objectif de ce travail est double :définir un modèle qui soit d’une part aussi simple et direct que possible et d’autre part aussi précis que possible.<p>Le premier objectif est atteint dans la mesure où on n’utilise que la loi fondamentale du rayonnement des courants réels (électriques) en excluant tout recours à des courants virtuels (magnétiques).<p>Concernant l’objectif de précision, des comparaisons nombreuses avec des résultats d’un simulateur purement numérique et des mesures indiquent une amélioration pour tous les paramètres mais en particulier pour l’impédance qui est le point faible de tous les modèles existants.<p><p><p>Microstrip antennas and the rectangular microstrip antenna in particular have been studied and used for several decades.<p>As every antenna, the microstrip antenna requires a good analytical model that provides physical insight and an easy prediction of the antenna parameters (resonance frequency, impedance, gain, efficiency and bandwidth).<p>Over the years, two families of models have been developed, each involving many variants: the “transmission line” and the “cavity” models. These models either lack accuracy or are very complex and produce results that may be far away from reality. <p>The objective of this work is double: defining a model as simple and direct as possible and on the other hand as accurate as possible.<p>The first objective has been reached as all our calculations rest on the fundamental radiation formula by real (electrical) currents excluding any virtual (magnetic) currents.<p>Regarding accuracy, comparisons to numerical simulations and measurements show an improvement, in particular with regard to the prediction of the impedance parameters, which is the weak point of all existing models.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Abstract In this thesis, new methods for mobile terminal antenna frequency control and user effect compensation are presented. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part includes frequency reconfigurable and tuneable antennas for mobile terminals. At first, the efficient frequency reconfiguration methods for a slot-, planar inverted-F (PIFA) and inverted-F (IFA) antennas are presented. Methods are based either on the use of RF switches, or on variable capacitor loading. One of the frequency tuneable antennas is used for the antenna frequency bandwidth enhancement in an internal digital television reception antenna, offering a continuous tunability range from 470&#160;MHz to 702&#160;MHz with 8&#160;MHz instantaneous bandwidth. The second part of this thesis is concentrated on the user effect on the mobile terminal antennas, and especially, on the active compensation of the user-induced losses. At first, an experimental user effect study is conducted for triple-band PIFA and the body loss, comprising both the reflection loss and absorption loss, is characterized and formulated. It was observed that with the highly loaded mobile terminal antenna the majority of the losses are absorption losses and the user-induced reflection losses play a minor role. An active method of compensating the body loss, and especially the absorptive part of it, is designed and developed in this thesis. The switchable two-antenna arrangement is applied to a dual-band top-bottom PIFA that yielded up to 9&#160;dB compensation of the body loss with a specific phantom hand grips in the lower band (GSM 850). In the higher band (GSM 1900 and WCDMA) 2&#160;dB compensation is obtained. The same method is verified with two side by side-located PIFA and monopole configurations in order to compensate the effect of the user’s index finger. The losses from switching circuitry proved to be smaller than the benefit achieved by the compensation method. / Tiivistelmä Tässä työssä esitään uudenlaisia menetelmiä matkaviestinantennin taajuussäätöön ja käyttäjän vaikutuksen kompensointiin. Työ jakautuu kahteen osaan, joista ensimmäisessä käsitellään taajuussädettäviä matkaviestinantenneja. Aluksi esitetään tehokkaita taajuussäätömenetelmiä rako-, tasomainen käännetty-F- ja käännetty-F -tyyppisille antennirakenteille. Menetelmät perustuvat joko RF kytkimen tai säädettävän kapasitanssin käyttöön. Yhtä säätömenetelmää sovelletaan päätelaitteen sisäisen vastaanottoantennin taajuuskaistanleveyden kasvattamiseen. Säätömenetelmällä saavutettu jatkuva säätöalue on 470–702&#160;MHz ja hetkellinen kaistanleveys on 8&#160;MHz. Työn toisessa osassa keskitytään käyttäjän matkaviestimen antennille aiheuttamaan vaikutukseen ja erityisesti käyttäjän aiheuttamien häviöiden kompensointiin. Aluksi esitetään kokeellinen tutkimus käyttäjän vaikutuksesta kolmikaistaiseen PIFA-antenniin. Tutkimuksessa arvioidaan kehohäviöiden määrää, antennin impedanssimuutoksesta aiheutuvaa heijastushäviötä ja absorptiohäviötä. Tutkimuksen perusteella absorptiolla on suurempi vaikutus kokonaishäviöön kuin heijastushäviöllä. Työssä esitetään aktiivinen kehohäviön ja erityisesti absorptiohäviön kompensointimenetelmä. Menetelmässä antennikytkentää sovelletaan päätelaitteen ylä- ja alapäähän sijoitettuihin kaksitaajuus antenniin. Tutkimuksen perusteella todetaan, että tietyn käsiotteen aiheuttamia häviöitä voidaan kompensoida 9&#160;dB matalammalla taajuuskaistalla (GSM&#160;850) ja 2&#160;dB korkeammalla taajuuskaistalla (GSM&#160;900 ja WCDMA). Kompensointimenetelmän toimivuus todennetaan myös kahdella monopoli- ja PIFA-antennirakenteella käyttäen erilaista antennijärjestelyä, jossa pääpaino on käyttäjän etusormesta johtuvien häviöiden kompensoinnissa. Antennikytkennän aiheuttamat häviöt ovat pienemmät kuin kompensointimenetelmällä saavutettu etu.

M.Ing. / This study considers improving the azimuth beam steering resolution of the circular Switched Parasitic Array (SPA) antennas (made up of dipoles) by a factor of two or more. In circular SPA antennas, beam steering is conventionally achieved by open-circuiting and shortcircuiting different parasitic elements and usually only one parasitic element is open-circuited at a time. However, such an approach results in low beam steering resolutions especially for the SPA antennas with few parasitic elements. In order to increase the azimuth beam steering resolution for the circular SPA antennas, two beam steering methods are proposed in this research work. In the first method, parasitic elements are open-circuited and short-circuited based on different combinations of the parasitic elements and the possible switch states. The proposed method was first validated by simulation tests using the MATLAB tool and WIPL-D. A prototype of the circular SPA antenna consisting of five elements was then implemented. It is noted that the simulation and measurement results match very well at 2.4 GHz. In order to have at least two combinations (from the first method) with almost similar gain and return loss, another simpler beam steering method was developed. The latter method is based on simultaneously open-circuiting either two or three neighbouring parasitic elements. The performance of the second method was studied through simulations using the circular SPA antenna geometries consisting of five, seven and nine elements. These geometries were first optimized (for gain and input impedance) and then modelled using WIPL-D. It was observed that the two methods double the azimuth beam steering resolution of the circular SPA antennas when compared to the conventional beam steering approaches of open-circuiting one parasitic element at a time. Variations in the structural parameters of the five elements circular SPA antenna at 2.4GHz were also investigated. In this procedure, the effects of variations (also considered as random errors) in the structural parameters (or antenna dimensions) on the performance of the SPA antennas were examined. Firstly, variations in each structural parameter were modelled with other structural parameters fixed as per specifications. Thereafter, effects of combined errors were also investigated. The simulation results demonstrated that variations in the structural parameter can either increase or decrease the gain and input impedance of the SPA antenna depending on the given specifications. The gain and input impedance sensitivities per variations in each structural parameter were computed to determine the degree at which the gain and input impedance can vary for a predefined change (error) in the structural parameter.

abstract: Impedance-modulated metasurfaces are compact artificially-engineered surfaces whose surface-impedance profile is modulated with a periodic function. These metasurfaces function as leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) that are capable of achieving high gains and narrow beamwidths with thin and light-weight structures. The surface-impedance modulation function for the desired radiation characteristics can be obtained using the holographic principle, whose application in antennas has been investigated extensively. On account of their radiation and physical characteristics, modulated metasurfaces can be employed in automotive radar, 5G, and imaging applications. Automotive radar applications might require the antennas to be flush-mounted on the vehicular bodies that can be curved. Hence, it is necessary to analyze and design conformal metasurface antennas. The surface-impedance modulation function is derived for cylindrically-curved metasurfaces, where the impedance modulation is along the cylinder axis. These metasurface antennas are referred to as axially-modulated cylindrical metasurface LWAs (AMCLWAs). The effect of curvature is modeled, the radiation characteristics are predicted analytically, and they are validated by simulations and measurements. Communication-based applications, like 5G and 6G, require the generation of multiple beams with polarization diversity, which can be achieved using a class of impedance-modulated metasurfaces referred to as polarization-diverse holographic metasurfaces (PDHMs). PDHMs can form, one at a time, a pencil beam in the desired direction with horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, left-hand circular polarization (LHCP), or right-hand circular polarization (RHCP). These metasurface antennas are analyzed, designed, measured, and improved to include the ability to frequency scan. In automotive radar and other imaging applications, the performance of metasurface antennas can be impacted by the formation of standing waves due to multiple reflections between the antenna and the target. The monostatic RCS of the metasurface antenna is reduced by modulating its surface impedance with a square wave, to avert multiple reflections. These square-wave-modulated metasurfaces are referred to as checkerboard metasurface LWAs, whose radiation and scattering characteristics, for normal incidence parallel polarization, are analyzed and measured. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2020

We developed curved spiral antennas for use in underwater (freshwater) communications. Specifically, these antennas will be integrated in so-called mussel backpacks. Backpacks are compact electronics that incorporate sensors and a small radio that operate around 300 MHz. Researchers attach these backpacks in their freshwater mussel related research. The antennas must be small, lightweight, and form-fit the mussel. Additionally, since the mussel orientation is unknown, the antennas must have broad radiation patterns. Further, the electromagnetic environment changes significantly as the mussels burrow into the river bottom. Broadband antennas, such a spiral antennas, will perform better in this instance. While spiral antennas are well established, there has been little work on their performance in freshwater. Additionally, there has been some work on curved spiral antennas, but this work focused on curving in one dimension, namely curving around a cylinder. In this thesis we develop spiral antennas that curve in two dimensions in order to conform the contour of a mussel's shell. Our research has three components, namely (a) an investigation of the relevant theoretical underpinning of spiral antennas, (b) extensive computer simulations using state-of-the art computational electromagnetics (CEM) simulation software, and (c) experimental validation. The experimental validation was performed in a large tank in a laboratory setting. We also validated some designs in a pool (∼300,000 liters of water and ∼410 squared-meter dive pool) with the aid of a certified diver. To use CEM software and perform successful antenna-related experiments require careful attention to many details. The mathematical description of radiation from an antenna, antenna input impedance and so on, is inherently complex. Engineers often make simplifying assumptions such as assuming no reflections, or an isotropic propagation environment, or operation in the antenna far field, and so on. This makes experiments on antennas challenging since it often quite difficult to replicate the simplifying assumptions in an experimental setting. Still, with careful consideration of the important factors and careful experimental design it is possible to perform successful experiments. For example, antenna measurements are often performed in anechoic chambers. For our research we used a large swimming pool to mimic an underwater anechoic chamber. Our CEM simulations and experimental results are in most cases congruent. We are confident that we can design formfitting, compact (spiral) antennas that one could deploy on mussels. This will greatly enhance the mussel backpacks that are used by researchers at the University of Iowa.

Although small spacecraft are small in size and light in weight compared to the conventional satellites, they can offer lots of possibilities for space exploration, scientific observation, data collection and telecommunication. Also, they cost a lot less money than the conventional satellites, and the scientific missions can be planned in a relatively short period of time by using the COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) materials. However, there is a big challenge for the small spacecraft that is the limited surface area of the small spacecraft and the outnumbered components to be mounted on the surface of the small spacecraft. The most obvious one is that the competition for the limited real estate between the antenna and solar cells. UAVs, also known as drones, have become so popular that it is not only used for military and scientific applications, but also they are available for recreational use for ordinary people. Although they are getting smaller in size so that one can put them in his pocket or on his palm, they are becoming multifunctional, which requires more sensors to be mounted on the surface of the drone to achieve its multifunctionality. For example, a recreational drone can not only take pictures and videos, but also it can transmit the picture or video in real time to the operator, which needs a camera to take the picture or videos and needs an antenna to transmit the recorded data to the operator. This requires that the limited surface area needs to be efficiently used in order to accommodate the multiple needed components. This thesis presented a faster, better and cheaper way of inkjet printing conformal antennas on the cover glass of the solar cells of the small spacecraft or on the wing or other parts of the UAV body to integrate the antenna with the solar panels of the CubeSats or with or directly printing the antenna on the UAV body to efficiently use the limited real estate. Several meshed and solid patch antennas printed on a space certified AF32 glass substrate using the printing procedure outlined in this thesis and measured to verify the effectiveness of the inkjet printing procedures. A high gain reflectarray with optical transparency of 95% was inkjet printed on space certified AF32 glass and BOROFLOAT glass and measured to verify the antenna performance and solar panel efficiency. Measurement results showed that the inkjet printed reflectarray integrated on top of the solar panel has a gain of 21.5 dB. The solar panel efficiency was dropped by around 6% due to the inkjet printed reflectarray on glass. A simple conformal dual-band antenna for UAV application was designed with ANSYS HFSS and fabricated in the lab using a foam substrate. The measured antenna performances agreed well with the simulation results. This dual-band antenna also can be inkjet printed directly on the wing or other parts of the UAVs using the printing techniques discussed in this thesis.

Inkjet printing is an attractive patterning technology that has received tremendous interest as a mass fabrication method for a variety of electronic devices due to its manufacturing exibility and low-cost feature. However, the printing facilities that are being used, especially the inkjet printer, are very expensive. This thesis introduces an extremely cost-friendly inkjet printing method using a printer that costs less than $100. In order to verify its reliability, linearly and circularly polarized (CPd) planar and conformal microstrip antennas were fabricated using this printing method, and their measurement results were compared with copper microstrip antennas. The result shows that the printed microstrip antennas have similar performances to those of the copper antennas except for lower efficiency. The effects of the conductivity and thickness of the ink layer on the antenna properties were studied, and it is found that the conductivity is the main factor affecting the radiation efficiency, though thicker ink yields more effective antennas. This thesis also presents the detailed antenna design for a sub-payload. The sub-payload is a cylindrical structure with a diameter of six inches and a height of four inches. It has four booms coming out from the surface, which are used to measure the variations of the energy flow into the upper atmosphere in and around the aurora. The sub-payload has two types of antennas: linearly polarized (LPd) S-band antennas and right-hand circularly polarized (RHCPd) GPS antennas. Each type of antenna has various requirements to be fully functional for specific research tasks. The thesis includes the design methods of each type of antenna, challenges that were confronted, and the possible solutions that were proposed. As a practical application, the inkjet printing method was conveniently applied in validating some of the antenna designs.