RF MEMS-integrated frequency reconfigurable quasi-Yagi folded dipole antenna

A RF MEMS integrated frequency reconfigurable quasi-Yagi folded dipole antenna is presented. The operating frequencies of the antenna are interchangeable between the millimeter wave WPAN band (57-66 GHz) and E-band (71-86 GHz). This is achieved by electronically tuning the effective electrical length of the folded dipole driver and the director element by employing RF MEMS switches. Simulation results show that the integration of RF MEMS switches had little effect onto the antenna performance. End-fire radiation patterns with low cross polarization levels were achieved across the entire tunable frequency range. Simulation results show that the antenna gain lies between 4.3 dBi to 5.2 dBi in the lower band and between 5.5 dBi to 8 dBi in the upper band.