Abstract

Compact array of printed dipole antennas loaded with reactive elements is proposed. A novel and practical applications of the metamaterial (MTM) inclusion in dipole antenna designs is presented. The simulation results show a reasonable reduction in mutual coupling between antenna elements and provide a possible way to reduce the element separation. A prototype of the proposed array antenna is fabricated and tested. Measurement shows that the isolation with inter-antenna spacing of less than 0.075λ (at f=0.9GHz) through the first frequency band (811MHz–955MHz) is above 12.5dB while the proposed design provides more than 15dB isolation with inter-antenna spacing of less than 0.133λ at f=1.6GHz (1325MHz–1880MHz).