Ultra-wideband antenna miniaturization using distributed lumped element loading

We demonstrated the use of distributed lumped elements for antenna miniaturization. First the capability of artificial transmission lines (ATL) on size reduction and impedance control was demonstrated. Subsequently, the ATL was applied for antenna miniaturization. For a resonant TL loop antenna, a 43% miniaturization is possible without altering its modal field behavior. We further demonstrated that for broadband antennas the ATL strategy could achieve the same miniaturization level as that of dielectric loading without increasing size and weight. Moreover, it could be combined with dielectric loading for even greater miniaturization. Specifically a 35% miniaturization was demonstrated when the combined loading strategy was used. We expect that even further miniaturization can be achieved with an optimized distribution of lumped elements.