Planar, compact ultra-wideband polarisation diversity antenna array

A new compact multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna array is presented. The antenna array initially consisted of two monopoles placed side by side at a distance of 4 mm. A strong mutual coupling was observed so the design was modified by rotating the second radiator at 90 degrees at a distance of 1 mm. Wideband isolation is achieved by exploiting polarisation diversity of antenna elements. Simulation in HFSS and printed prototype results validate the high isolation, over 21 dB on the entire 2.5-12 GHz frequency range. A prototype was fabricated on a low loss substrate of Rogers TMM4 measuring 23 x 39.8 mm(2). To evaluate the diversity performance, the envelope correlation coefficient was calculated resulting below -20 dB, thus ensuring good diversity performance. The compactness of the proposed UWB-MIMO design is finally compared against alternative solutions already present in the literature.