Design of a T-Shaped Antenna Based on Characteristic Mode Manipulation for Metal-Framed Handset Application
Recently, metal-framed handset antennas have aroused much attention due to their fantastic appearance and superior robustness. In this paper, a T-shaped antenna suitable for integration with a USB connector is proposed for metal-framed handset application by utilizing the theory of characteristic modes (TCM). Five eigenmodes, one for the lower band and four for the higher band, were merged by a T-shaped metal frame, a feed point, and two shorting pins, as well as three radio frequency (RF) switches so as to broaden the antenna’s operating bandwidth. A prototype was fabricated in order to verify the design concept. Experimental results showed that the proposed antenna was able to cover bandwidths of 0.824–0.960 GHz (GSM band) and 1.710–2.690 GHz (DCS, PCS, UMTS, and LTE bands) with an acceptable radiation efficiency of up to 50% and satisfactory radiation patterns.