Multiband Antenna Design with Integrated AMC Surface and FSS Superstrate for Wireless Body Area Network Communications

Abstract

The growing need for remote healthcare monitoring and personalized treatment has driven the evolution of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN). This paper presents a new multiband antenna design for WBAN, featuring a dual wideband antenna that operates from 2.22 to 3.52 GHz and 4.98–11.13 GHz. The design also includes an integrated 4 × 4 artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface and a 4 × 3 frequency selective surface (FSS) superstrate layer that works together to reduce back radiation and improve radiation performance. The AMC unit cell produces a quintuple zero-degree reflection phase response at 2.5 GHz, 4.8 GHz, 6.5 GHz, 9.1 GHz, and 11 GHz, and the FSS superstrate generates a multiband response of the transmission coefficient at 3.24 GHz, 6.68 GHz, and 9.25 GHz, behaving as a Double Negative material at their corresponding resonant frequency. The integrated antenna design measures 0.425λ₀ ×  0.425λ₀ × 0.17λ₀ (λ₀ at 2.45 GHz) and covers the most common wireless frequency bands, with an impedance bandwidth of 23.74% (2.19–2.78 GHz), 1.739% (3.99–4.06 GHz), and 72.46% (5.13–10.96 GHz). Furthermore, the integrated antenna showcases a peak gain of 11.98dBi at 7.5 GHz, a notable Front-to-Back Ratio of 25.15 dB at 8.2 GHz, and a minimal specific absorption rate (SAR) of 0.0142 W/kg at 9 GHz. These accomplishments resulted in a considerable 99.45% reduction in the overall average SAR values and achieved an 83% radiation efficiency. The effectiveness of the proposed multiband antenna design was evaluated by fabricating and testing an experimental prototype using a Vector Network Analyzer and Anechoic Chamber. Overall, the integrated AMC and FSS structures enable multiband resonance and improved radiation performance, making the presented antenna design a promising solution for future WBAN applications.