FRACTAL ANTENNA

By A.SRIRATNA

OVERVIEW
Introduction What is fractal antenna Geometry of fractals Fractal dipole Antenna-KOCH fractal Different Fractal Loops Applications Merits Demerits Conclusion

INTRODUCTION
In today world of wireless communications, there has been an increasing need for more compact and portable communications systems. Just as the size of circuitry has evolved to transceivers on a single chip, there is also a need to evolve antenna designs to minimize the size. Currently, many portable communications systems use a simple monopole with a matching circuit. The fractal antenna not only has a large effective length, but the contours of its shape can generate a capacitance or inductance that can help to match the antenna to the circuit.

FRACTAL
|FRACTAL} means broken or fractured O Derived from the Latin word fractus OIntroduced by |BENOIT MANDELBROT}, a French mathematician in 1975. OPersonalities like D.Hilbert, Helge Von Koch, G.Cantor played an important role. O Fractals are geometrical shapes which are self-similar & independent of scale. OFractals are complex geometric designs that repeat themselves and are thus self similar. OArea directly proportional to perimeter . OBased on EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY.
O

THE GEOMETRY OF FRACTALS

The geometry of fractals is important because the effective length of the fractal antennas can be increased while keeping at total area same. The shape of the fractal antenna can be formed by an iterative mathematical process, called as Iterative Function Systems (IFS).

FRACTAL DIPOLE ANTENNASKOCH FRACTAL

The expected benefit of using a fractal as a dipole antenna is to miniaturize the total height of the antenna at resonance. The geometry of how this antenna could be used as a dipole is shown in fig 1. The starting pattern for the Koch loop that is used as a fractal antenna is a triangle. From this starting pattern, every segment of the starting pattern is replaced by the generators.

Fig.1 :Koch curve

FRACTAL LOOPS

Resonant loop antennas require a large amount of space and small loops have very low input resistance. A fractal island can be used as a loop antenna to overcome these drawbacks. Fractals loops have the characteristic that the perimeter increases to infinity while maintaining the volume occupied.

For a small loop, this increase in length improves the input resistance. By raising the input resistance, the antenna can be more easily matched to a feeding transmission line.

MINKOWSKI LOOP

Fractals have self-similarity in their geometry, this can lead to multiband characteristic antennas. A Sierpinski sieve dipole can be easily compared to a bowtie dipole antenna. the middle third triangle is removed from the bowtie antenna, leaving three equally sized triangles, which are half the heightof the original bowtie.

Fig : Sierpinski triangle

FIG: the current distribution in the areas of resonance

APPLICATIONS Military applications Custom applications

Extreme frequency range operation Compact enough to be mounted in a variety of locations Capability for covert operations

CUSTOM APPLICATIONS Support full deployment of world`s most advanced wireless technology Mobile device configurations made possible low cost performance enhancement for today`s RFID applications Communication applications

MERITS
Powerful, versatile and compact more reliable and lower cost increased bandwidth and multiband capability decrease size load and enable optimum smart antenna technology minituratization better input impedance matching frequency independent

DEMERITS
Gain loss complexity numerical limitations

CONCLUSION
To get an understanding of the relationship between the performance of the antenna and the fractal dimension of the geometry requires two courses of action. . The first course of action requires that many more examples of fractal geometries are applied to antennas. The second crucial course of action is to attain a better understanding of the fractal dimension of the geometries. The fractal counterparts of these antennas having a large fractal dimension are more efficient in filling up the space.

REFERENCES
Bandwidth and Q of antennas radiating TE and TM modes. IEEE transactions on electromagnetic compatibility FRACTUS, the technology of nature, www.Fractus.Com Benoit B. Mandelbrot, The Fractal Geometry Of Nature W.H.Freeman 1982