Planar compact dual-band monopole antenna with circular polarization for WLAN applications

A planar circularly polarized (CP) monopole antenna (MA) with dual-band operation for the IEEE 802.11a/b/g wireless local area network (WLAN) is proposed. By introducing dual strip-sleeves shorted at the ground plane, the excitation of dual-resonant modes can resemble the 2.4/5.2 GHz bands required for WLAN operations. The obtained impedance bandwidths (RL >= 10 dB) across the operating bands approach 260/988 MHz and the 3 dB axial-ratio bandwidth of about 103/710 MHz for 2.4/5.2 GHz bands, respectively. The model proposed in this study reflects more advantages in physical implementation as its overall volume is only 40 x 40 x 0.8 mm(3), 22% smaller than other conventional CP MAs. The measured peak gain and radiation efficiency are about 4.1/3.3 dBic and 94/84%, respectively, and demonstrate nearly bidirectional patterns in the XZ- and YZ-planes.