Date of Award:

5-2017

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Bedri A. Cetiner

Committee

Bedri A. Cetiner

Committee

Doran J. Baker

Committee

Jacob Gunther

Committee

Reyhan Bakhtur

Committee

T. C. Shen

Abstract

In this digital era, the demand for faster, reliable, and adaptive wireless communication systems is increasing. Various factors can affect the signal propagation in the wireless medium, such as weather, broadcast environment, physical obstructions, etc. This study aims to improve the antenna performance by means of dynamically altering its properties so that it can adapt to different environments and communication scenarios. This study is not resorting in a traditional antenna design, but rather explores an alternative approach known as the multifunctional reconfigurable antennas (MRAs). Unlike its predecessor, i.e., legacy antennas, MRAs can dynamically change its operation frequency, radiation pattern, and polarization, which makes it an alternative technology toolbox for next-generation wireless communication systems. Design, micro-fabrication, and characterization of two standalone antennas and two antenna arrays are presented in this dissertation. These antennas are capable of operating within the entire IEEE 802.11ad (WiGig) band. The first design is a broadband patch antenna operating at (57 − 66) GHz. The second design is an MRA which provides three distinct beam directions pertaining to: θ ∈ {−300, 00, 300}; φ = 900. The third design is a 2 × 8 patch multifunctional reconfigurable antenna array (MRAA) which operates within the frequency band of (57- 66) GHz an extension of the first design. Last, the fourth design is an MRAA with three parasitic layers; an extension of the second design. Finally, this dissertation concludes with plans for future work, which proposes the development of MRAs and MRAAs with dual-frequency operation.

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