UWB monopole microstrip antenna using fractal tree unit-cells

This article presents the design of a novel and compact ultra‐wideband fractal‐based monopole antenna. Enhancement of the antenna's bandwidth is achieved by increasing the unit‐cells of the fractal tree without significantly impacting on the antenna's physical size. The actual size of the miniature antenna is limited to 24 × 24 × 1 mm3 and it operates across 2.1–11.52 GHz for VSWR ≤ 2. The proposed fractal structure makes the antenna flexible in terms of resonance and bandwidth control, which is a function of iteration order of the fractal used. The efficiency of the prototype antennas fabricated was evaluated through simulations and measurements. The measured results confirm the antenna radiates omnidirectionally and has a large impedance bandwidth. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:2366–2370, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27081