Simple systematic frequency reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna

A simple, efficient, reconfigurable sweeping frequency, single feed, fork shaped microstrip antenna is presented in this paper. The reconfigurability of frequency is presented by incorporating pin diode, in series, to switch the successive operating frequencies considerably by changing the antenna effective length. The proposed antenna sweeps frequency along Ku band; provided in this work six resonant frequencies, namely (13.5, 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18 GHz), with nearly fixed radiation pattern, constant gain more than (7dB) and return loss less than (-10 dB) over the entire band. The proposed antenna shape presented can be used over any frequency band and can be applied to various applications. The proposed antenna is explained and simulation results are presented. The antenna is simulated by using both Zeland´s MoM based IE3D tool and HFSS, the simulation results are identical hence validate the design.