Enabling metamaterial solutions for antennas in wireless internet service provision (WISP)

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In wireless internet service provision (WISP), any efforts to render antennas more compact, low-profile, or**multifunctional can bring certain challenges such as increased mutual coupling and complex antenna**architectures, all of which variously enlarge antenna footprints, complicate design, and present fabrication**challenges. Although solutions exist for these challenges, they may actually increase the size, weight,**complexity, and cost of the antenna, and they typically employ ad-hoc or otherwise empirical design methods.**A separate challenge is the known effect of radomes on radiation parameters. These structures, whose shapes**are dictated by application-specific parameters such as wind resistance and aesthetics, are not typically**exploited to enhance antenna properties, although they present an interesting opportunity to do so.**The above challenges demand a more robust solution drawing on new paradigms in antenna design. One such**paradigm is that of electromagnetic (EM) 'metamaterials' (MTMs), which are periodic structures engineered to**create exotic wave-propagation characteristics - often unavailable using natural materials - and which may be**further classified into several types. Among these are EM bandgap structures (EBGs) and certain incarnations**of frequency-selective surfaces (FSSs), where the former are typically used to tailor propagation in**guided-wave applications (e.g. waveguides and TLs) and the latter are typically used to engineer the**transmission and reflection response of waves in free space.**The proposed collaboration with KP Performance Inc. (Edmonton, AB -- abbreviated KPPA) will investigate**designing compact multifunction diversity antennas that incorporate recent advances in MTM-based EBG**technology to enable broadband and/or multi-band operation with reduced mutual coupling. A second aspect of**this work will examine patterning antenna radomes and ground planes using MTM-based FSSs and EBGs,**respectively, to effect better half-power beamwidth roll-off, low side-lobes, and improved front-to-back ratios.