Design and analysis of compact antenna with cascaded elliptical patch for reconfigurability using RF switches at satellite applications

Abstract

In this study, an elliptical ring with small patches cascaded for operating satellites was fabricated. To operate the proposed band, novel RF MEMS switches were loaded onto a patch antenna. The proposed antenna was designed on flexible polyimide with a dimension of 28 × 24 mm2. The proposed antenna resonates at 9.85 GHz with a reflection coefficient and impedance band width of − 49 dB and 460 MHz, respectively, and attains a 5.9 dBi gain. The performance of the proposed antenna with and without integrated RF-MEMS switches was evaluated. The proposed model in states 1, 2, 3, and 4 resonates at a frequency of 9.73, 9.78, 9.77, and 9.75 GHz, respectively, with a reflection coefficient of − 31.2, 23.1, 27, and 42, respectively. Two switches were compared when they were integrated onto the proposed antenna. An actuation voltage of 5.025 V was required for the elliptical ring membrane switch to shift from ON to OFF state. The proposed antenna was fabricated and tested with vector network analyzer Keysight N9917A for validation. The simulation and experimental results showed a strong agreement.