Artificial magnetic conductor‐integrated high‐gain quad‐port hexagonal antenna for conformal ultra‐wideband applications

Abstract This article presents a hexagonal multiple‐input–multiple‐output (MIMO) antenna with dimensions of 60 × 60 × 0.1 mm 3 on a flexible substrate operating within the 2–12 GHz frequency range. The design includes a specially engineered defective ground structure that improves inter‐element isolation to >25 dB. The proposed design achieves an impedance bandwidth of 142.85% (|| < −10 dB). A circular split‐ring‐shaped artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) of size 80 × 80 × 0.1 mm 3 is placed beneath the engineered radiator to enhance gain by up to 9.6 dBi and reduce the specific absorption rate (SAR). Both the antenna and AMC structure are printed on a 0.1‐mm‐thin polyamide substrate. The performance of key diversity metrics of the proposed MIMO antenna is evaluated, and the results confirm its efficacy. On‐body performance analysis reveals that the SAR remains <0.06 W/kg when the radiator is placed on the forearm and <0.16 W/kg when placed on the leg and head. A prototype is fabricated and evaluated through testing, confirming that the proposed structure is highly suited for wireless body area network and 5G communication applications.