2026-07-01 Latest Published
By Marwa M. Ismail
Saif Mohamed Baraa Alsabti
Raya Adel Kamil
Mohammed Abdulrahman Dawood Al-Obaidi
Bashar S. Bashar
Yaser Amer Jassim
Taha Ahmed Elwi
Progress In Electromagnetics Research B, Vol. 118, 1-15, 2026
Abstract
High-gain reconfigurable antennas have become a crucial component of 5G systems. However, traditional Composite Right-Left-Hand Structure (CRLH) and Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC)-based designs suffer from high complexity, via losses, and complex biasing circuits. In this work, a CRLH transmission line integrated with a Hilbert Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) structure and a zero-phase AMC reflector is proposed for sub-6 GHz band. The proposed design integrates CRLH minimization, AMC gain enhancement, and Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR) bias-free reconfiguration within a unified low-complex framework. The design consists of 17-unit cells of a CRLH coupled to an EBG of Hilbert inclusions. An AMC reflector with zero phase shift is designed in the interested band to reduce back lobes and increase gain in forward direction. A maximum gain of 16 dBi was achieved at 5.5 GHz, and an increase of 4 dBi was achieved with the introduction of the AMC. An optical switch of LDR controls antenna performance, where different scenarios are investigated to achieve reconfiguration and beam scanning. The antenna gain is highly affected by changing the LDR switching status; for example, at 5 GHz, the antenna gain varies between 9 dBi and 11 dBi. At 5.5 GHz, the gain varies between 18 dBi and 20 dBi. In addition, the antenna achieved a scan of ∓5° with a consistent gain at 5 GHz by changing the LDR states. Therefore, the proposed antenna is an excellent candidate for direct amplitude modulation. Finally, the simulated results were validated through experimental measurements.
