Transmitting power handling limitations of a wideband, non-foster electrically-small antenna

Abstract

Non-foster matching networks can provide significantly larger bandwidth over passive matching networks. However, when a non-foster matching network, which contains active devices, is used to match electrically small antennas (ESAs), which have high Q impedances, very high currents and voltages are necessary to drive the antenna in transmit applications. This work demonstrates that the selected active element in the non-foster circuit has a large effect on the maximum power that can be radiated from an ESA. High power transistors and triode vacuum tubes are investigated as the active element of the non-foster circuit to improve maximum radiated power.