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A compact antenna for UWB communication systems has been realized by employing a quasi-selfcomplementary structure together with a triangular notch on microstrip feed line in this paper. The optimal design of this type of antenna can offer an ultra wide return loss bandwidth with reasonable radiation properties. It features a quite small physical dimension of 16 mm x 25 mm, corresponding to an electrically size of 0.24 λ. A good agreement is achieved between the simulated and the measured antenna characteristics. The major parameters that influence the performance of the antenna are investigated numerically to gain an insight into the antenna operation. Time domain performance of the antenna is also examined in order to assess its suitability for impulse radio applications.

Small antennas and other modern communication applications are using increasingly higher frequencies while demanding shorter development time and very rapid testing cycles. A fast and accurate way to exhaustively determine antenna performance and/or investigate device malfunction is based on spherical near field measurement techniques combined with probe array technology. This paper describes the innovative design aspects of the StarLab portable antenna measurement system and present results from the validation campaigns including both passive and active measurements. The use of integrated diagnostic and analysis software modules for efficient antenna design and testing is also presented.