Differential antenna design and characterization

Differential front-end co-design presents good promises for new smart object applications. In this work, we present a characterization method that allows the measurement of differential antennas' input impedance and gain pattern without using baluns. Two miniature dipole antennas are also presented. The first antenna is fed by an asymmetrical feed line and thus shows a non symmetrical radiation pattern at low frequencies. The second antenna is fed by a differential CPS line. This planar antenna shows a miniature size and is easy to integrate inside the smart device's structure. A complete characterization of this antenna has been carried out using the proposed measurement method.