Design and Experimental Validation of a Miniaturized Ultrawideband Fractal Antenna with Defected Ground and Slot-Loaded Structure for X-Band Applications
| International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering |
| © 2025 by SSRG - IJECE Journal |
| Volume 12 Issue 7 |
| Year of Publication : 2025 |
| Authors : Anand S. Deshkar, Soni Chaturvedi, A. A. Khurshid |
10.14445/23488549/IJECE-V12I7P135
How to Cite?
Anand S. Deshkar, Soni Chaturvedi, A. A. Khurshid, "Design and Experimental Validation of a Miniaturized Ultrawideband Fractal Antenna with Defected Ground and Slot-Loaded Structure for X-Band Applications," SSRG International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering, vol. 12, no. 7, pp. 443-458, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488549/IJECE-V12I7P135
Abstract:
The growing requirement for compact and wideband antennas for defense-grade handheld and wearable devices mandates the adoption of innovative design approaches that assure excellent performance under non-uniform and electromagnetically complex environments. Conventional microstrip antennas are often seriously limited in various aspects, like bandwidth, and bulky profiles with poor frequency reconfigurability, making them highly unfit for the UWB applications, especially in the X-band frequency range of about 8-12 GHz. This paper proposes a single-element fractal antenna that has been engineered for X-band military applications to overcome these deficiencies. The design integrates: (1) a zigzag slot pattern at the patch center to induce capacitive loading and allow multiple resonance paths; (2) four-corner square slots, derived from modified literature designs to enhance surface current perturbation and increase operational bandwidth; (3) A Defected Ground Structure (DGS), strategically etched to suppress surface waves, enhance impedance matching, and improve gain. The antenna has been fabricated using RT Duroid 5880 substrate ( ∈r= 2.2, height = 0.8 mm), which presents low dielectric loss and excellent high-frequency performance. Simulation and experimental validation show a strong correlation with measured S11 less than -15dB over 6-17GHz and Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) between 1 and 2 over X-band. Co-polarization and cross-polarization radiation patterns support very high directional stability and minimal cross-radiation sets. This gives the design a small footprint of 25 mm × 25 mm while functioning with an extremely wide bandwidth that is suitable for space-constrained defense and wearable applications. Hence, the proposed structure would fill the gap created in the process of size reduction and enhancement of bandwidth, thus enabling next-generation wireless systems with reliable, wideband, and miniaturized antenna solutions.
Keywords:
Fractal antenna, Ultrawideband, Defected ground structure, Slot-loaded patch, X-band applications, Scenarios.
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