A New Low-Cost Compact Antenna for the 2.45 and 5.8 GHz ISM Bands

This paper presents the design of a high-performance dual-band antenna for industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band applications. The proposed prototype consists of a low-cost patch antenna, 40 mm x 24 mm in size (i.e., 0.36 lambda 0 x 0.19 lambda 0, with lambda 0 the wavelength corresponding to the low frequency), with a relatively wideband for both operational bands (up to 140 MHz at 2.45 GHz and 510 MHz at 5.8 GHz), and a radiation efficiency of over 90%. The antenna has a quasi-omnidirectional radiation pattern with gains of 2.41 dBi and 5.22 dBi at 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz, respectively. The design methodology is detailed and illustrated by simulation results showing the optimization steps and the characteristics associated with the antenna. Experimental results based on a fabricated prototype are presented and compared with simulation results from the design stage. Finally, the proposed antenna prototype is also compared with similar antennas available in the literature.