Les performances des antennes Ultra Large Bande (ULB) les rendent appropriées pour de nombreuses applications. En radar à pénétration de surface (SPR), application visée de cette thèse, une telle bande passante offre un excellent compromis entre capacité de pénétration et résolution spatiale en imagerie micro-ondes. De plus, il a été démontré que la prise en compte du champ rayonné par l'antenne en présence de la surface améliore considérablement la qualité des images obtenues. Cette thèse aborde la problématique de la quantité de données représentant les antennes ULB. En effet, les descripteurs classiques d'antenne ne suffisent pas à caractériser l’évolution en fréquence de leurs performances. Le développement en harmoniques ou vecteurs sphériques est utilisé pour modéliser le diagramme de rayonnement d’antennes tout en réduisant le volume de données. D'autre part, les méthodes d'expansion en singularités modélisent la réponse en fréquence (ou impulsionnelle) de l'antenne par un ensemble de pôles de résonance. Le but de ce travail de thèse est d'établir un modèle compact qui représente avec précision le rayonnement d'antenne, et permette la connaissance du champ à différentes distances. A cette fin, plusieurs combinaisons des méthodes de caractérisation ont été étudiées. L'approche proposée est validée par la modélisation du diagramme de rayonnement simulé et mesuré d'une antenne Vivaldi (ETSA). Le modèle établi fournit le champ rayonné à différentes distances de l'antenne avec une erreur inférieure à 3% avec un taux de compression de 99%. La dernière partie de cette thèse présente une application de l'approche proposée au rayonnement d’antennes en présence d’interfaces / UWB antennas bandwidth makes them highly suitable for a number of applications. In surface penetrating radar (SPR) applications, which is the focus of our research, such a bandwidth range allows good signal penetration ability and fine space resolution for microwave imaging. In addition, it has been shown that the knowledge of the radiated field by the antenna enhances drastically the quality of the resulting images. The work reported in this thesis deals with the problematic of the huge amount of data representing UWB antennas. Indeed, due to the frequency dependence, the classical antenna parameters are not sufficient to characterize this type of antenna. The scalar or vector spherical wave expansion is widely used to expand the radiation pattern of a radiating antenna and permit a high compression data rate. On the other hand, the Singularity Expansion Methods are used in frequency/time domain to model the antenna response by a set of resonant poles. The purpose of this thesis is to establish a compact model representing accurately the antenna radiation characteristics, which also allows to find the field at various distances. To this end, several ways of combining the aforementioned methods have been investigated. The proposed approach is validated by modeling the simulated and measured radiation pattern of an Exponential Tapered Slot Antenna (ETSA) in free space. Furthermore, we verify that the established compact model provide radiated field at different distances from the antenna with a compression of the initial pattern up to 99% and an error below 3%. The last part of this thesis, present an application of the proposed methodology to SPR context

Ultra wide-band (UWB) technology is considered one of the very promising wireless technologies in the new millennium. This increases the demand on designing UWB antennas that meet the requirements of different UWB systems. In this dissertation, different UWB antennas are proposed such as an antenna that covers almost the entire UWB bandwidth, 3.5-11 GHz, as defined by the federal communication commission (FCC). This antenna has a size of 50×40×1.5mm3. Miniaturized worldwide UWB antennas are also introduced. Miniaturized worldwide UWB antennas that have compact sizes of (30×20×1.5) mm3, and (15×15×1.5) mm3 are also investigated. The designed worldwide UWB antennas cover the UWB spectrums defined by the electronic communication committee (ECC), 6-8.5 GHz, and the common worldwide UWB spectrum, 7.4-9 GHz. A system consisting of two identical antennas (transmitter and receiver) is built in the Antennas and Propagation Lab at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) to test the coupling properties between every two identical antennas. The performance of that system is analyzed under different ii conditions to guarantee that the transmitted signal will be correctly recovered at the receiver end. The designed UWB antennas can be used in many short range applications such as wireless USB. Wireless USB is used in PCs, printers, scanners, laptops, MP3 players, hard disks and flash drives. A new technique is introduced to widen the impedance bandwidth of dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs). DRA features compactness, low losses, and wideband antennas. Different compact UWB DRAs are investigated in this dissertation. The designed DRAs cover a wide range of frequency bands such as, 6.17-24GHz, 4.23-13.51GHz, and 4.5-13.6GHz. The designed DRAs have compact sizes of 1×1×1.5cm3, 0.9×0.9×1.32cm3, 0.6×0.6×1cm3, and 0.6×0.6×0.9cm3; and cover the following frequency bands 4.22-13.51GHz, 4.5-13.6GHz, 6.1-23.75GHz, and 6.68-26.7GHz; respectively. The proposed DRAs may be used for applications in the X, Ku and K bands such as military radars and unmanned airborne vehicles (UAV).

Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication is emerging as a new wireless technology, which promises high data rates with low interference and low power consumption. The development of such UWB systems requires a sufficiently large amount of data to characterize the propagation behavior of UWB signals in indoor environments and develop accurate channel models. This thesis focuses primarily on a frequency-domain approach for propagation measurements and characterization of indoor UWB channels. This approach is based on measurements of the amplitude using a scalar network analyzer and retrieval of the phase from the amplitude data using a Hilbert transform relationship. Extensive propagation data are collected in a frequency range of 1 to 12 GHz in two buildings on Virginia Tech campus. Using the data, channel characterization results are obtained and compared to those based on time-domain measurements. Some statistical results for small-scale fading, path loss exponent, and signal quality are presented. This comparison validates the accuracy of measured results for the UWB measurement campaign. The measured data also reaffirms the immunity of UWB propagation to small-scale fading which is present in narrowband wireless communication systems. In addition to channel propagation measurements, signal distortions in UWB links, due to bandwidth limitations of antenna characteristics as well as the dispersive behavior of building materials, are also examined. In particular, the distortion of radiated signals by TEM horn antennas along off-boresight directions are studied experimentally. Furthermore, pulse distortions resulting from propagation through dispersive walls are demonstrated by simulation. The roles of receive-transmit antennas in a UWB link are examined, and the requirements for gain, input impedance, polarization, and phase of the radiated signal necessary for minimization of signal distortions are pointed out. / Master of Science

The thesis is focused on special corrugated reflectors for ultra-wideband antennas. Corrugated reflectors are divided into a type H and a type E. Both these types are mutually combined. All those reflectors are simulated and subsequently analyzed. The thesis also deals with different types of broadband dipoles, which are completed by investigated types of reflectors. Created reflector antennas are then compared. For antennas exhibiting the best parameters, we performed simulations of the transmission between two antennas. For the simulations, we used CST Microwave Studio. Selected antennas were manufactured and measured. Consequent simulations were aimed to detect differences between the simulated and measured results.

Les avions comportent plusieurs systèmes de navigation et de communication nécessitent des antennes VHF large bande. Réduire la taille de ses antennes est un enjeu majeur tout en gardant des bonnes performances. Cette thèse propose des nouvelles configurations d'antennes à profil bas utilisant des nouveaux matériaux nanocomposites non conducteurs constitués de nanoparticules magnétiques développés au Lab-STICC. Un monopole planaire large bande a été développé et optimisé avec un taux de miniaturisation de 60% grâce à l'utilisation d'un matériau magnéto-diélectrique de forte perméabilité et faible pertes couvrant seulement 5% de sa surface. Les résultats expérimentaux, en presque parfait accord avec les simulations, montrent que le diagramme de rayonnement est omnidirectionnel et que la polarisation est verticale, avec un bon niveau du gain. L'antenne monopole planaire insérée dans un MMD des dimensions limitées avec des pertes a été modélisée par un nouveau circuit équivalent multi résonant. Ce circuit est développé à partir de l'impédance d'entrée de l'antenne et des caractéristiques du MMD, et validé par les simulations avec un parfait accord entre les résultats. / Airplanes with multiple navigation and communication systems require broadband VHF antennas. Reduce the size of these antennas is a major challenge while keeping good performances. This thesis proposes new configurations of low profile antennas using new nanocomposite non-conductive materials consisting of magnetic nanoparticles developed at Lab-STICC. A broadband planar monopole has been developed and optimized with a 60% miniaturization rate thanks to the use of a high permeability and low loss magneto-dielectric material covering only 5% of its surface. The experimental results, in almost perfect agreement with the simulations, show that the radiation pattern is omnidirectional and that the polarization is vertical, with a good level of gain. The planar monopole antenna inserted in a MMD of limited dimensions with losses was modeled by a new multi-resonant equivalent circuit. This circuit is developed from the input impedance of the antenna and the characteristics of the MMD. and validated by the simulations with a perfect agreement between the results.

Ultra-wideband (UWB) radio techniques have long promised good contrast and high resolution for imaging human tissue and tumours; however, to date, this promise has not entirely been realised. In recent years, microwave imaging has been recognised as a promising non-ionising and non-invasive alternative screening technology, gaining its applicability to breast cancer by the significant contrast in the dielectric properties at microwave frequencies of normal and malignant tissues. This thesis deals with the development of two novel imaging methods based on UWB microwave signals. First, the mode-matching (MM) Bessel-functions-based algorithm, which enables the identification of the presence and location of significant scatterers inside cylindrically-shaped objects is introduced. Next, with the aim of investigating more general 3D problems, the Huygens principle (HP) based procedure is presented. Using HP to forward propagate the waves removes the need to apply matrix generation/inversion. Moreover, HP method provides better performance when compared to conventional time-domain approaches; specifically, the signal to clutter ratio reaches 8 dB, which matches the best figures that have been published. In addition to their simplicity, the two proposed methodologies permit the capture of a minimum dielectric contrast of 1:2, the extent to which different tissues, or differing conditions of tissues, can be discriminated in the final image. Moreover, UWB allows all the information in the frequency domain to be utilised, by combining information gathered from the individual frequencies to construct a consistent image with a resolution of approximately one quarter of the shortest wavelength in the dielectric medium. The power levels used and the specific absorption rates are well within safety limits, while the bandwidths satisfy the UWB definition of being at least 20% of the centre frequencies. It follows that the methodologies permit the detection and location of significant scatterers inside a volume. Validation of the techniques through both simulations and measurements have been performed and presented, illustrating the effectiveness of the methods.

The studies in this dissertation mainly utilize planar antennas for ultra-wideband antenna designs not only on the investigation of antenna performance but also towards exploiting attractive features of ultra-wideband antennas for practical applications, such as WMAN access-point antennas, omnidirectional WiMAX access-point antennas, band-notched UWB (Ultra-wideband, 3.1 ~ 10.6 GHz) antennas, and so on. To begin with, the effects of the ground-plane size and the asymmetrical ground plane on ultra-wideband antennas are studied in Chapter 2. Following up, from the conclusive results, an antenna for WMAN operation in access-point applications and an omnidirectional monopole for USB wireless network card device are proposed and analyzed. Characteristics of ultra-wideband antenna radiation in relation to the antenna's width for obtaining omnidirectional radiation are addressed. In Chapter 3, several ultra-wideband access-point antennas are presented for achieving good omnidirectional radiation in the azimuthal plane across the bandwidth. Furthermore, in Chapter 4, band-notching techniques are applied to ultra-wideband antennas for avoiding the interference between the UWB and the WLAN systems.