Magnetoelectric Dipole Antennas

By

KWAI MAN LUK

Five stars out of five stars

This is a comprehensive book on the magnetoelectric dipole, written by its inventor

In recent decades, the microstrip antenna has drawn the widespread attention of the antenna engineering community.  IT has been researched extensively.   Several books, including an IEEE Press Book, have been devoted to this antenna.  Due to its low profile and ease of fabrication, it is the antenna of choice in smart phones and in fast-moving objects such the wings of airplanes.  However, its disadvantages of narrow bandwidth, asymmetrical beamwidth, high cross polarization and high back radiation are well-known and they do limit the scope of the antenna’s applicability.

In the early 2000’s, Professor Kwai Man Luk and his team at the City University of Hong Kong began to develop a class of antennas known as the Electric-Magnetic Dipole Antenna.  This type of antennas do not have the shortcomings of the microstrip antenna mentioned above.  It is based on the complimentary effect when an electric dipole and a magnetic dipole are combined in a device.  Unlike the microstrip antenna, this antenna is not widely known to the antenna community.

It is thus timely that Prof. Kwai Man Luk, the originator of this antenna, has written a book on his invention.  The coverage of the book is comprehensive.  It explains the idea of complementarity and how it leads to wideband, stable gain, symmetrical E and H plane patterns, low cross polarization and low back radiation.  The basic structure of the antenna is described, typically consisting of four horizontal metal patches (the electric dipole) and two vertically shorted patches (the magnetic dipoles).  There are chapters on designs for dual and circular polarizations as well as size reduction and bandwidth enhancing techniques.  The advantages of the magnetoelectric dipole over the microstrip antenna in areas of 4G and 5G base stations, mm wave communication systems, through-wall and automotive radar are discussed.   Its limitations inhibiting its universal usage due to its thick profile and relatively complexity in design are also addressed.

In conclusion, this is a most timely and comprehensive book on a recently invented antenna written by its inventor, Professor Kwai Man Luk, a world-renowned researcher who has made seminal contributions to antenna design.