Advanced antennas for future wireless communication systems

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The performance of wireless communication systems is often limited by interferences, path loss, local scattering and multipath propagation. Therefore, reliable antenna systems should be developed and deployed to enhance the performance and efficiency of future wireless communication systems. In this context, next generation antennas with ultra gain, reconfigurable radiation pattern and broad band operation can be used as an efficient solution for increasing the overall performance of future wireless systems. Traditionally, to achieve this objective, smart antenna arrays have been used. Such a smart antenna system is based on the conventional design strategy of combining large number antenna elements. The back-borne of these systems are based on analog or digital signal processors that automatically optimize the radiation pattern in response to the received signal. The principal drawbacks of these approaches are the high number of antennas fed through complex networks that leads to reduced efficiency due to losses. As an alternative solution to conventional systems, this research program aims to develop a new class of advanced antennas with high gain, reconfigurable radiation patterns using various artificial electromagnetic materials, such as active frequency selective surfaces (FSS), electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structures and metamaterials. The major goal is to design and develop advanced novel antennas that are capable of providing high gain, broadband operation and pattern reconfigurability. To achieve these attractive features, we propose the development of new tunable active FSS, EBG or metamaterial structures. By controlling the electromagnetic characteristics of these structures, the gain, frequency band and radiation pattern can be controlled and electronically reconfigured. These advanced antennas will be capable of drastically improving the transmission quality in hostile environments. With these features, the proposed antennas present significant potential for future wireless applications. To realize this challenging design platform, the proposed research will be focused on the study and characterization of artificial electromagnetic materials, including agile FSS, EBG and metamaterial structures and their applications in the development of new class of advanced antennas with ultra- gain, broad band width and dynamic radiation patterns. In this proposal, FSS, EBG and metamaterial structures present interesting research topics because of their unusual, often unexplored electromagnetic properties. A more profound knowledge of these artificial materials holds the promise of optimizing the physical properties of microwave and millimeter-wave antennas, and could also be the key to master other promising technologies. Moreover, the ability to control structural synthesis on the microwave and millimeter-wave scale will lead to the development of new functional materials with unprecedented physical and electrical properties. Therefore, this program will contribute to (i) analysis, design and implementation mechanisms involved in development of active FSS, EBG and metamaterial structures; (ii) foster highly focused research activities in FSS, EBG and metamaterial structures and their applications in design and development of advanced antennas , consistently with specific needs of the high technology Canadian industry, and (iii) train highly qualified personnel to respond to the scientific and technological challenges of our modem society.