Fractal Engineering Integration in Antenna Arrays: A Comparative-review for Advanced Transceiver Systems with 5G/IoT Connectivity.

The growing demand for space-efficient antennas compatible with portable electronic gadgets inspired the integration of recursively iterated fractal geometries (characterized by self-similarity, space-filling, and multiband/wideband capabilities) in antenna designs. Therefore, this article conducts an extensive survey on fractal-based single-port and multi-port patch antenna designs with multiband and ultrawideband characteristics for their implementation in 5G/IoT (Internet of Things) devices. The survey begins with a basic overview of fractal geometries and the iterated function system (IFS) technique employed for their generation. Further, it highlights the limitation of multipath fading prevalent in single-port antenna arrays that can be overcome by adopting multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. The MIMO antenna systems are vital for 5G networks to enhance data transmission rate, network capacity, and system reliability. Apart from these admirable attributes, the closely packed antenna elements in the MIMO configuration result in a severe mutual coupling. To address this limitation, various isolation enhancement techniques developed by distinguished researchers are thoroughly discussed in this article, detailing their merits and demerits. At last, this article portrays diverse band-notch structures integrated into the antenna designs to eradicate the existing interfering narrow bands in the ultrawideband (UWB) spectrum. The underlying reason for conducting this survey is to aid antenna designers and academicians with a thorough knowledge of distinct fractal geometries, various isolation improvement approaches, and band-notch techniques on a single platform, desired for designing 5G/IoT-based antenna systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]