A gain enhancement of compact UWB antenna based on a single FSS layer

Abstract The present work introduces a novel low‐profile antenna for UWB applications through the use of a frequency‐selective surface (FSS). The FSS reflector uses a 7 × 7 array with a unit cell of 12.4 × 12.4 mm. By incorporating this periodic structure, the antenna's peak gain reaches 11 dBi, covering a UWB frequency range from 3.01 GHz to 13.5 GHz. Both FSS and UWB antennae are printed on the same type of substrate (FR4‐epoxy). The gap between the FSS layer and antenna is a half wavelength (18 mm) to obtain the best performance. The fabricated optimized antenna prototype shows a reasonable accord between numerical and experimental results. These results are compared to the existing literature designs. Overall, the proposed antenna system has reduced complexity and size, while offering a very wide bandwidth and high gain, making it a good candidate for imminent wideband and high‐gain wireless communication systems.