Dual-Band Microstrip Patch Antenna Using Integrated Uniplanar Metamaterial-Based EBGs

This paper presents a novel dual-band microstrip patch antenna that employs a metamaterial-based electromagnetic bandgap (MTM-EBG) integrated into its radiating edges to support two distinct operating frequencies. The resulting antenna is compact, uniplanar, completely printable, and via-free. Dispersion engineering of the MTM-EBG unit cell through a rigorous multiconductor transmission-line analysis allows simple, systematic design for two or more arbitrary frequencies. Additionally, a novel approach is taken to employ the same MTM-EBG to impedance-match the antenna to an inset microstrip feed at both operating frequencies. A dual-band MTM-EBG antenna designed to radiate at 2.4 and 5.0 GHz is simulated and tested, and experimental results demonstrate radiation performance comparable to the corresponding conventional patch antennas in excellent agreement with simulations, while also affording some degree of miniaturization at lower frequencies.