Design and Optimization of a Compact Planar Radiator for UWB Applications and Beyond

A compact monopole antenna for ultra-wideband (UWB) and beyond applications has been proposed. The radiator is based on the monopole topology. The super-wideband behavior has been achieved using a combination of spline-based modifications applied to the driven element, as well as utilization of a tapered feed and a slot-modified ground plane. The electrical performance of the structure has been tuned using a numerical optimization algorithm. The proposed design features reflection below the level of -10 dB within 2.8 GHz to 30 GHz range, as well as a footprint of only 404 mm2. The proposed structure has been compared in terms of bandwidth and size with the state-of-the-art antennas from the literature. The numerical results are supported by measurements of the fabricated antenna prototype.