Continuous Resonance Tuning without Blindness by Applying Nonlinear Properties of PIN Diodes

Abstract

Metamaterial antennas consisting of periodical units are suitable for achieving tunable properties by employing active elements to each unit. However, for compact metamaterials with a very limited number of periodical units, resonance blindness exists. In this paper, we introduce a method to achieve continuous tuning without resonance blindness by exploring hence, taking advantage of nonlinear properties of PIN diodes. First, we obtain the equivalent impedance of the PIN diode through measurements, then fit these nonlinear curves with mathematical expressions. Afterwards, we build the PIN diode model with these mathematical equations, making it compatible with implementing co-simulation between the passive electromagnetic model and the active element of PIN diodes and, particularly, the nonlinear effects can be considered. Next, we design a compact two-unit metamaterial antenna as an example to illustrate the electromagnetic co-simulation. Finally, we implement the experiments with a micro-control unit to validate this method. In addition, the nonlinear stability and the supplying voltage tolerance of nonlinear states for both two kinds of PIN diodes are investigated as well. This method of obtaining smooth tuning with nonlinear properties of PIN diodes can be applied to other active devices, if only PIN diodes are utilized.

Active Metamaterial Antenna with Tunable Zeroth-Order Resonances for Narrowband Internet of Things

“…The work in Ref. [42] has the same application scenario as that in our work. However, this paper has many improvements compared with [42].…”

“…[42] has the same application scenario as that in our work. However, this paper has many improvements compared with [42]. First, concerning the design, the proposed antenna cell in our work is a mushroom-shaped structure, and the antenna cell in [42] is a "J"-shaped structure.…”

“…However, this paper has many improvements compared with [42]. First, concerning the design, the proposed antenna cell in our work is a mushroom-shaped structure, and the antenna cell in [42] is a "J"-shaped structure. Second, with the completely different cell design from the antenna cell structure in [42], the dispersion curve is totally different, which leads to advantages in the performance.…”

“…First, concerning the design, the proposed antenna cell in our work is a mushroom-shaped structure, and the antenna cell in [42] is a "J"-shaped structure. Second, with the completely different cell design from the antenna cell structure in [42], the dispersion curve is totally different, which leads to advantages in the performance. The ZOR tunable range of our antenna is 4.4 GHz-5.45 GHz, while that in [42] is 4.7 GHz-5.3 GHz, meaning that the proposed tunable ZOR is 0.45 GHz larger than that of [42].…”

Editorial: Special Issue “Antenna Design for 5G and Beyond”

“…Luo et al [18] present a new method to obtain continuous tuning without resonance blindness in the PIN diode. In this method, after achieving the equivalent impedance of the diodes, these nonlinear properties will be fitted with mathematical expressions.…”