Parametric Study of Dual and Wideband Printed PIFA Antennas

A parametric study on the physical attributes of a planar inverted F antenna is to be presented. The PIFA under investigation does not have a shorting via to the ground in contrast to most other designs. The antenna is printed on a high frequency laminate, thus maintaining low profile, ease of fabrication and good fabrication tolerances. Varied antenna parameters include length of the upper and lower arms, length of the vertical side line and dimension of the ground plane backing the feeding microstrip line. Simulations are validated by experimental measurement of two fabricated elements, one exhibits dual band operation with measured impedance bandwidth of 250 MHz centred at 2.6 GHz and a bandwidth of 750 MHz centred at 5.49 GHz, while the other fabricated element has an impedance bandwidth of 1.8 GHz centred at 5 GHz and a second lower resonance centred at 2.95 GHz of 350 MHz bandwidth. Measured radiation patters are nearly omnidirectional in one plane and have large half power beam widths in the other plane.