Characteristic Mode Analysis For Ultra-Wideband Antenna Design

When designing an ultra-wideband antenna, a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) horn is employed for supporting the TEM mode having no low-frequency cut-off. Unfortunately, where the horn is much smaller than a wavelength, the horn will electromagnetically approach a dipole with a large reflection coefficient and a poor directivity. In order to improve the antenna at intermediate frequencies, FEKO software can be utilized for its characteristic mode analysis (CMA) to provide new insights that would be difficult to obtain with other methods. Download the full application note for more on how CMA insights may be used to recommend antenna design modifications that would not have been obvious otherwise.