Metamaterial Integrated Folded Dipole Antenna with Low SAR for 4G, 5G and NB-IoT Applications

Abstract

The fast growth of wireless technology for mobile communication devices requires broad bandwidth, high data rate facilities and compact device size. The solution to the next generation user equipment is high data rate 4G/5G technologies. In this research, wideband antenna design was analyzed and evaluated for 4G, 5G and NB-IoT applications. CST microwave studio was used for simulations and investigations of the performance parameters. The antenna was designed as a folded dipole with a tunable bandwidth and resonates for 5G NR n78, NR-IoT bands B1, B2, and B25, and eleven TDD LTE frequency bands with a bandwidth percentage and minimum scattering loss of 69.02% and −42 dB respectively. Additionally, the designed antenna is small (35 × 48 × 1.62 mm³) and planar in structure and can be easily integrated with radio equipment. The antenna design was also investigated for SAR minimization and gain enhancement using metamaterial integration. For all operating frequency bands, the antenna design results in a considerable gain improvement. The metamaterial was shown to be an excellent absorber of radiation, particularly in high frequency regions. This research also included a SAR examination with and without metamaterial integration. SAR values were found to be significantly reduced throughout all operating bands. The results were validated by fabricating the design prototype on FR-4 substrate for 4G, 5G and IoT bands. The antenna will be possibly used for communication in high data rate applications.