Chen, Z. N., Qing, X., Su, Y., & Xu, R. (2023). Toward Metantennas: Metamaterial-Based Antennas for Wireless Communications. IEEE Communications Magazine, 61(11), 160–165. https://doi.org/10.1109/mcom.001.2300070
Abstract:
Antennas have been the most historical electromagnetic (EM) technology for wireless communication systems. Antennas as hardware is entirely dependent on the EM properties of the materials used, which are mostly related to the permittivity and permeability. Besides natural materials such as good conductors and low-loss dielectrics, metamaterials (MTMs) have been proposed as artificial structures engineered for unique EM properties that we have yet been found in nature. MTMs have enabled new methods of controlling EM fields and wave propagation, resulting in the rapid development of innovative antennas based on MTMs, or metantennas in short. Metantennas have been widely developed to address critical challenges by increasing antenna gain and bandwidth while decreasing antenna volume and profile. This article presents three common metantenna designs as examples to demonstrate how the metantenna technology addresses the most critical design challenges in antenna design, that is, achieving a wide bandwidth and a high gain versus a miniaturized size, including a low-profile wideband metantenna for 5G NR small cells using anisotropic high-permittivity MTM, a wideband antipodal antenna loaded with zero-index MTM for gain enhancement, and compact multiple-beam Luneburg lens antennas using transformation optical methods and MTM implementation. These designs demonstrate the advantages of metantennas over traditional antennas.
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Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research - IAF-PP
Grant Reference no. : A1897a0040
This research / project is supported by the National University of Singapore - Advanced Research and Technology Innovation Center
Grant Reference no. : R-261-518- 002-720