Reconfigurable Filtenna using Varactor Diode for Wireless Applications

This paper presents a compact and planar reconfigurable filtenna for application in Wireless systems. The filtenna is composed of a UWB circular antenna and a filter with two trapezoidal resonators. The filter is integrated on the antenna feed line and has a band-pass frequency response. The filtenna frequency response reconfiguration is achieved by changing the capacitance of a varactor diode, placed between filter resonators; the capacitance varies continuously from 1.32 pF to 4.09 pF according to an applied bias voltage. The varactor capacitance analog variation defines the filtenna frequency of operation, which can be varied from 2.2 GHz to 3.4 GHz with an average bandwidth of 200 MHz, while maintaining the radiation characteristics of the UWB antenna. Simulated and measured filtenna results are shown according to varactor diode bias, demonstrating multiband operation using a compact planar design.