Antenna Modules Demystify Wireless Designs

April 15, 2005

These integrated modules incorporate antenna elements as part of an overall design, with matched radio and RF circuit elements that cut the cost of wireless product development.

Jack Browne

Related To: Antenova

Antenna development remains one of the more mysterious sides of RF design, due to the complex electromagnetic (EM) fields transmitted and received by antennas. In the hopes of demystifying antennas for many wireless applications, Antenova Ltd. (Cambridge, England) has launched a range of antenna modules that integrate and match the antenna with the surrounding RF components. Available in various cellular, Personal Communications Services (PCS), and wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) frequency bands, the company hopes that these RADIONOVA integrated antenna modules will cut the cost and complexity of adding wireless connectivity to mobile telephones and other mobile electronic devices.

RADIONOVA antenna modules combine RF components with the company's unique high-efficiency high-dielectric-antenna (HDA) technology. The high dielectric constants of the materials used to fabricate these antennas results in designs that are much smaller than conventional printed antennas.

In contrast to conventional dipole (balanced) antennas which fare poorly in the presence of a full ground plane , Antenova's balanced designs can be surface-mounted on a cellular telephone's PCB while providing high omnidirectional gain.

The company's initial RADIONOVA antenna modules are the GSM RADIONOVA and the UMTS RADIONOVA (see figure). The first module incorporates the equivalent of a single antenna for one of the low-bands (either 850 or 900 MHz) and high-band (1710 to 1990 MHz) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) operation. A dual-band CDMA module incorporating GPS (Global Positioning System) will soon be added to the range. The peak antenna element gain is 0 dBi while the return loss is −6 dB. The surface-mountable module exhibits 50-Ω impedance for an unbalanced feed and 100-Ω impedance for a balanced feed. The antenna element volume is less than 4.3 cm³ without the electronics bay and less than 5.1 cm³ with the electronics bay. The UMTS RADIONOVA module is slightly larger in volume with the electronics bay at 5.4 cm³. Designed for use in third-generation cellular (3G) Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) handsets, the module covers 1920 to 2170 MHz with similar electrical performance as that of the GSM RADIONOVA module. Antenova Ltd., Far Field House, Albert Rd., Stow-cum-Quy, Cambridge CB5 9AR, England; +44 (0) 1223 810600, FAX: +44 (0) 1223 810650, Internet: www.antenova.com.

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.