Ultra-Wideband Antenna Design for 5G NR Using the Bezier Search Differential Evolution Algorithm

As the energy crisis is leading to energy shortages and constant increases in prices, green energy and renewable energy sources are trending as a viable solution to this problem. One of the most rapidly expanding green energy methods is RF (RadioFrequency) energy harvesting, as RF energy and its corresponding technologies are constantly progressing, due to the introduction of 5G and high-speed telecommunications. The usual system for RF energy harvesting is called a rectenna, and one of its main components is an antenna, responsible for collecting ambient RF energy. In this paper, the optimization process of an ultra-wideband antenna for RF energy harvesting applications was studied, with the main goal of broadening the antenna’s operational bandwidth to include 5G New Radio. For this purpose, the Bezier Search Differential Evolution Algorithm (BeSD) was used along with a novel CST-Matlab API, to manipulate the degrees of freedom of the antenna, while searching for the optimal result, which would satisfy all the necessary dependencies to make it capable of harvesting RF energy in the target frequency band. The BeSD algorithm was first tested with benchmark functions and compared to other widely used algorithms, which it successfully outperformed, and hence, it was selected as the optimizer for this research. All in all, the optimization process was successful by producing an ultra-wideband optimal antenna operating from 1.4 GHz to 3.9 GHz, which includes all vastly used telecommunication technologies, like GSM (1.8 GHz), UMTS (2.1 GHz), Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz), LTE (2.6 GHz), and 5G NR (3.5 GHz). Its ultra-wideband properties and the rest of the characteristics that make this design suitable for RF energy harvesting are proven by its S11 response graph, its impedance response graph, its efficiency on the targeted technologies, and its omnidirectionality across its band of operation.