Design of a Microstrip Dual Band Fractal Antenna for Mobile Communications

The antenna is a transducer that converts electromagnetic waves at radio frequency (RF) into alternating current or vice versa. Based on their application, antennas have various designs, shapes, and specifications including gains radiation/ sensitivity patterns, operating frequencies, and gains. The Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has established IEEE802.11 protocol for coordinating the implementation of computer communications in wireless local area networks (WLAN). The antennas in this protocol should be designed to operate at certain operating frequencies including 60 GHz, 6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz. Although the channels that could be used in WLANs are specified by IEEE 802.11, the availability of the allowed radio frequency spectra is determined by the regulatory domain. In this paper, a proposed design and implementation of a dual band microstrip fractal antenna for wireless LAN's is presented. The proposed antenna has dual bands with center frequencies of 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz according to IEEE802.11 standards. The antenna design is based on Minkowski pattern, and it is implemented using photoetching. Simulation and measurement results of radiation pattern, impedance, VSWR, return loss, bandwidth, gain, and polarization are obtained, analyzed, and compared to standard specifications.