The Journal of China

Universities of Posts and

Telecommunications
February 2010, 17(1): 32–36
www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10058885 www.buptjournal.cn/xben

Triple broadband compact planar inverted F antenna

for WLAN and WiMAX
YANG Jun1 ( ), LI Xiao-lin2, ZHAO Wei-liang1

1. College of Electronic Engineering, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
2. Chongqing Information Technology Designing, Co. Ltd, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China

Abstract

This article proposes a novel antenna structure by slot loading method based on the planar inverted F antenna (PIFA), which is
fed by coaxial probe. The antenna structure consists of a new and flexible slot array including five slots. To reveal the mechanism
of slot loading in creating new and broad frequency band, the article discusses the performance of the five slots in detail.
Simulations with Ansoft HFSS 10.0 indicate that the − 10 dB relative impedance bandwidth can reach 17.2 %, 8.9 % and 12.1 %
that covers 2.40/3.30/5.15/5.725 GHz wireless local area network (WLAN) and world interoperability for microwave
access (WiMAX) bands. Meanwhile, the antenna has stable radiation pattern, high gain and low profile. Especially, the slot array
is flexible and capable of being realized in various application cases. Actually the design reaches broadband, multi-band,
miniaturization, high gain and is easy to fabricate.

Keywords slot loading, PIFA, slot array, WLAN and WiMAX , broadband, low-profile, multi-band

1 Introduction
Wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11a and IEEE
802.11b have been widely used in wireless access to Ethernet
because of the advantages in price and performance over
Bluetooth and digital enhanced cordless telephone (DECT).
China Telecom’s ‘Tianyi’ uses wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)
technology selecting the 2.40 GHz industrial, scientific and
medical (ISM) band. High performance radio local area
network (HiperLAN) selects the 5.0 GHz band. The future
WiMAX technology selects the 3.3 GHz band. All these
technologies need compact multi-frequency broadband
antenna mounted in portable wireless units and researches
have been done in recent years [1–3].
The PIFA antenna has been widely used in mobile
communication systems and scholars have presented their
designs. CHU Qing-xin et al. proposed an antenna that only
covers the ISM 3.4 GHz and 5.5 GHz [2]. An enhanced planar
inverted F-L-antenna (PIFLA) was discussed covering
Received date: 26-04-2009
Corresponding author: YANG Jun, E-mail: 13132390518yj@163.com
DOI: 10.1016/S1005-8885(09)60430-1
2.4 GHz and 5.5 GHz [3]. HUANG Zheng-hua et al.
presented a triple-band antenna but not including the 5.15 GHz
band and the −10 dB relative impedance bandwidth is only
about 4 % [4]. So far, few proposed antennas can cover all the
four WLAN bands let alone the bandwidth and high gain.
This article presents a novel type of slot array including
five slots. The slot array is embedded in the traditional PIFA
antenna. The designed compact multi-band antenna
completely covers all the four WLAN and WiMAX bands
including 2.40 GHz, 3.30 GHz, 5.15 GHz and 5.725 GHz.
The −10 dB relative impedance bandwidth can achieve 17.2%,
8.9% and 12.1%, respectively. The antenna has stable radiation
pattern, high gain and low profile. Meanwhile, the antenna is
convenient to feed. This design overcomes the disadvantage
that most of the low-profile antennas only have low gain.
Especially, the embedded slot array is highly flexible and is
easy to get the desired antennas applied to other wireless
communication systems.
2 Principle of reactance loading
It is easy for the reactance loading method to get new
Issue 1 YANG Jun, et al. / Triple broadband compact planar inverted F antenna for WLAN and WiMAX 33

frequency band in practice. According to cavity model

theory [5], the input impedance close to the resonant
frequency is:
Z in = R + jX f 1 + jX f 2 (1)
where X f1 is the equivalent reactance of the main mode and
X f2 is the total reactance of other higher-order mode. When
an antenna is in resonant state, the above equivalent circuit
reactance meets: X f1 + X f2 = 0 . As soon as the branch or slot
is embedded, the equation X f1 + X f2 = 0 becomes
(a) Top view of the antenna
X f1 + X f2 + X a = 0 , where Xa denotes the additional
reactance of the embedded branch or slot. Through the
adjustment of X a , no less than two zero points can be
obtained. Thus, the multi-frequency characteristic is achieved.
This is the basic principle of reactance loading. As branch
loading will increase the size as pointed out in Ref. [6], the
slot loading method emerged. In this article, the slot loading (b) Side view of the antenna
method plays a leading role in this design. Fig. 1 Geometry of the antenna structure and slot array

3 Antenna configurations 4 Results and discussion

According to the above principle, the characteristic of Challenges of feasible antenna design include the broadband
multi-frequency and broadband can be obtained based on performances of the impedance matching and radiation stability,
PIFA. PIFA is evolved from the λ 4 monopole antenna and the compact profile and proper polarization. According to
Eq. (2), the theoretical resonant frequency of the main mode
it has a smaller size than traditional microstrip antennas,
TM01 is about 2.28 GHz. The other resonant frequency bands
where λ is the wavelength of resonant frequency. The
must be obtained by embedding slot array. The antenna is
resonant frequency of main mode can be calculated by the
loaded with five slots, but the antenna has high gain in all
following equation [6]:
c bands. The function of the five slots will be discussed in detail
f ≈ (2)
4 (W + L ) as follows.
WLAN and WiMAX has four bands including: 2.40 GHz–
where f is the resonant frequency of the main mode, c is the
2.484 GHz, 3.30 GHz–3.60 GHz, 5.15 GHz–5.35 GHz and
speed of light in the free space, W and L are width and length
5.725 GHz–5.825 GHz.
of the radiation patch, respectively. To obtain the
Simulations and experiments of the antenna are performed
characteristics of multiple and broad band, the designed slot
by Ansoft HFSS 10.0. Fig. 2(a) exhibits the variation of the
array including five slots is embedded in the traditional PIFA.
impedance characteristics with the successive loading of slots
Through adjusting length, width and relative position of the
1, 2 and 3.
slot array, the desired characteristics of the antenna may be
As shown in Fig. 2(a), when the antenna is only loaded
achieved.
with slot 1, the starting resonant frequency point is reduced to
The overall size of the antenna is shown in Fig. 1: L=19 mm,
4.92 GHz. However, the desired 3.30 GHz band does not
W=7 mm, h=9.6 mm. The size of the five slots from slot 1 to
appear. When slots 1 and 2 are loaded simultaneously, a new
slot 5 are as follows: 6.5 mm×0.5 mm, 16.5 mm×0.5 mm,
frequency band is created. Fig. 2(a) describes that the starting
17 mm×0.5 mm, 4.7 mm×1.25 mm and 6 mm×0.5 mm. The
frequency point is 4.40 GHz, but not the desired 3.30 GHz.
size of the ground patch is 30 mm×2 0mm. The substrate is
After slot 3 is loaded, the desired 3.30 GHz band is created,
air and the antenna is fed with a single coaxial feeding probe.
which ranges from 3.30 GHz to 3.61 GHz, but the starting
point of 5 GHz band is shifted from 4.40 GHz to 5.61 GHz.
The above three slots at the 2.40 GHz band have little effect
either on the starting point or on bandwidth.
34 The Journal of China Universities of Posts and Telecommunications 2010

Only until these parameters are optimized precisely can the

desired operating band and enough bandwidth be achieved.
Fig. 2(b) emphasizes the importance of slot 1 in creating
the band of 3.30 GHz.
As shown in Figs. 2(a) and (b), if the antenna is loaded
with slots 2 and 3 without 1, the impedance characteristic is
very similar to the antenna embedded without any slots. The
main reason is that slot 1 plays a leading role in determining
the distribution of surface current on the radiation patch.
(a) Case 1 Figs. 2(a) and (b) also indicate that although the 3.30 GHz
band has been created, the starting resonant frequency point is
5.61 GHz but not the demanded operating 5.15 GHz, by
loading the slot 4 and 5 simultaneously, the situation is
completely changed. Fig. 2(c) shows the variation with the
loading of slot 4 and 5.
As shown in Fig. 2(c), when the slots 4 and 5 are embedded
in the radiation patch, the starting frequency point is lowered
from 5.61 GHz to 5.15 GHz. From Fig. 2(c), it is seen that the
loading of slots 4 and 5 contributes insignificant at the bands
of 2.40 GHz and 3.30 GHz.
(b) Case 2 Slots 1, 2 and 3 constitute together a novel slot array named
Lin-shaped. The Lin-shaped slot array is shown in Fig. 1.
Especially, it is noted that either slot 4 or 5 could not be
connected with the Lin-shaped slot array. No sooner the slots
are connected together than the changes would only occur at
the 3.30 GHz band but not the 5 GHz band.
U-shaped and L-shaped slots can enhance the bandwidth of
the antenna for their capacitance effect. Actually, the
Lin-shaped slot array is equal to two U-shaped and four
L-shaped slots, thus the broadband can be achieved. One
more important point is that the relative position between slot
4 or 5 and the Lin-shaped slot array influences considerably
(c) Case 3
on performance of impedance matching at all the bands.
Fig. 2(d) illustrates the return loss of the final optimized
antenna. Fig. 5 indicates that the antenna covers the demanded
operating bands including: 2.24 GHz–2.65 GHz, 3.30 GHz–
3.61 GHz and 5.15 GHz–5.83 GHz, the bandwidths are
410 MHz, 331 MHz and 680 MHz. The −10 dB relative
impedance bandwidth is 17.2 %, 8.9 % and 12.1 %, respectively.
Fig. 3 exhibits the distribution of E- ϕ and E- θ in xoz
plane and yoz plane in the WLAN bands.
The above figures show that except in several individual
directions, the difference of electric field component E- ϕ
(d) Case 4
Fig. 2 Return loss of the antenna and E- θ is more than 30 dB, in most of the directions the
difference is no more than 20 dB, hence the antenna can be
It is worthy of noting that the width and length of slot are
used as an elliptical polarization antenna. Elliptical polarization
key factors in determining resonant frequency and bandwidth.
antenna can receive the vertical and horizontal polarization
Issue 1 YANG Jun, et al. / Triple broadband compact planar inverted F antenna for WLAN and WiMAX 35

electromagnetic wave at the same time. It is very useful for indoor environment applications.

(a) Radiation pattern of the antenna in 2.43 GHz (xoz plane, yoz plane)

(b) Radiation pattern of the antenna in 3.48 GHz (xoz plane, yoz plane)

(c) Radiation pattern of the antenna in 5.27 GHz (xoz plane, yoz plane)

(d) Radiation pattern of the antenna in 5.75 GHz (xoz plane, yoz plane)
Fig. 3 Radiation pattern of the antenna at four frequency bands
36 The Journal of China Universities of Posts and Telecommunications 2010

The above radiation pattern figures also show that the PIFA antenna is presented and discussed. Simulations and
antenna has stable radiation pattern and high gain in all bands. experiments indicate that the input impedance is well matched
In the main radiation direction, the gains of antenna are 4 dBi, at all the WLAN bands and the antenna has stable radiation
9 dBi, 11 dBi and 10 dBi at the four resonant frequencies pattern and constant gain. Meanwhile, a novel kind of slot
respectively. array is designed. The presented antenna structure has general
The width of the short plate has certain degree of effects on value in wireless applications.
bandwidth of the antenna. Table 1 shows the trend of
bandwidth with the variation of the D, where D is the width of Acknowledgements
the short plate. The table indicates that the width of 2.3 mm is
the optimized size. This work was supported by Chongqing Municipal Education
Commission (KJ080516).
Table 1 Trend of bandwidth with variation of D
Bandwidth
D/mm
2.4/GHz 3.3/GHz 5/GHz
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WLAN and WiMAX technologies have broad prospects in
applications. Based on these applications, a new type of (Editor: ZHANG Ying)