Design and characterization of a compact Artificial Magnetic Conductor in the UHF band

Artificial Magnetic Conductors (AMCs) design and characterization in the UHF band is a big challenge while realizing low-profile antenna. In fact, AMCs unit cell often balance large geometries with high dielectric constants to achieve the desired frequency target while maintaining a minimal thickness. A compact AMC unit cell achieving a 37% reduction in the largest dimension (or 60% of surface reduction) is proposed in this paper. Numerical technique is applied to simulate the behavior of the considered AMC and the conventional one based on mushroom-like unit cell. Two measurements methods in anechoic chamber (monostatic RCS and TEM cell measurements) have been compared to characterize the manufactured prototypes. Good agreement has been found between simulations and measurements.

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