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FRACTAL ANTENNA
INTRODUCTION:
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is an antenna that uses a fractal, self-similar design to maximize the length, or
increase the perimeter (on inside sections or the outer structure), of material that can receive or
transmit electromagnetic radiation within a given total surface area or volume.

Such fractal antennas are also referred to as multilevel and space filling curves, but the key
aspect lies in their repetition of a motif over two or more scale sizes, or "iterations". For this
reason, fractal antennas are very compact, are multiband or wideband, and have useful
applications in cellular telephone and microwave communications.

A good example of a fractal antenna as a spacefilling curve is in the form of a shrunken fractal
helix. Here, each line of copper is just a small fraction of a wavelength.

A fractal antenna's response differs markedly from traditional antenna designs, in that it is
capable of operating with good-to-excellent performance at many different frequencies
simultaneously. Normally standard antennas have to be "cut" for the frequency for which they
are to be used²and thus the standard antennas only work well at that frequency. This makes the
fractal antenna an excellent design for wideband and multiband applications.

ISTORY:
Antenna elements (as opposed to antenna arrays) made from self-similar shapes were first done
by Nathan Cohen, then a professor atBoston University, starting in 1988. Cohen's efforts with a
variety of fractal antenna designs were first published in 1995 (thus the first scientific publication
on fractal antennas), and a number of patents have been issued from the 1995 filing priority of
invention (see list in references, for example). Most allusions to fractal antennas make reference
to these "fractal element antennas".
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FRACTAL ELEMENT ANTENNAS AND PERFORMANCE:

Many fractal element antennas use the fractal structure as a virtual combination of capacitors
and inductors. This makes the antenna so that it has many different resonances which can be
chosen and adjusted by choosing the proper fractal design. Electrical resonances may not be
directly related to a particular scale size of the fractal antenna structure. The physical size of the
antenna is unrelated to its resonant or broadband performance. The general rule of antenna length
being near target frequency wavelength does not apply itself in the same way with fractal
antennas.

This complexity arises because the current on the structure has a complex arrangement caused by
the inductance and self capacitance. In general, although their effective electrical length is
longer, the fractal element antennas are themselves physically smaller.

Fractal element antennas are shrunken compared to conventional designs, and do not need
additional components. In general the fractal dimension of a fractal antenna is a poor predictor of
its performance and application. Not all fractal antennas work well for a given application or set
of applications. Computer search methods and antenna simulations are commonly used to
identify which fractal antenna designs best meet the need of the application.

Although the first validation of the technology was published as early as 1995 , recent
independent studies show advantages of the fractal element technology in real-life applications,
such as RFID and cell phones.

One researcher has stated to the contrary that fractals do not perform any better than
"meandering line" (essentially, fractals with only one size scale, repeating in translation)
antennas. Specifically quoting researcher Steven Best: "Differing antenna geometries, fractal or
otherwise, do not, in a manner different than other geometries, uniquely determine the EM
behavior of the antenna." However, in the last few years, dozens of studies have shown superior
performance with fractals, and the below reference of frequency invariance conclusively
demonstrates that geometry is a key aspect in uniquely determining the EM behavior of
frequency independent antennas.
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FRACTAL ANTENNA FREQUENCY INVARIENCE AND MAXWELL¶S

EQUATIONS:

A different and also useful attribute of some fractal element antennas is their self-scaling
aspect.In 1999, it was discovered that self-similarity was one of the underlying requirements to
make antennas 'invariant' (same radiation properties) at a number or range of frequencies.
Previously, under Rumsey's Principle, it was believed that antennas had to be defined by angles
for this to be true; the 1999 analysis, based on Maxwell's equations, showed this to be a subset of
the more general set of self-similar conditions. Hence fractal antennas offer a closed-form and
unique insight into a key aspect of electromagnetic phenomena. To wit: the invariance property
of Maxwell's Equations.

ANTENNA TUNING UNIT:

Antenna tuning units are typically not required on fractal antennas due to their wide bandwidth
and complex resonance. However, if a transmitting antenna has deep nulls in its response or has
electromagnetic structural issues that require equalization then an antenna tuning unit should be
used.

OTER USES:
In addition to their use as antennas, fractals have also found application in other antenna system
components including loads, counterpoises, and ground planes. Confusion by those who claim
'grain of rice'-sized fractal antennas arises, because such fractal structures serve the purpose of
loads and counterpoises, rather than bona fide antennas.

Fractal inductors and fractal tuned circuits (fractal resonators) were also discovered and invented
simultaneously with fractal element antennas. Fractals have applications as inductors and tuned
circuits. An emerging example of such is in metamaterials. A recent report demonstrates using
close packed fractal resonators to make the first wideband metamaterial invisibility cloak, at
microwaves . Fractal filters (a type of tuned circuit) are another one example where the
superiority of the approach has been proven.

As fractals can be used as counterpoises, loads, ground planes, and filters, all parts that can be
integrated with antennas, they are considered parts of some antenna 6 6
6 and thus are
discussed in the context of fractal antennas.
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FRACTAL GEOMENTRY STREAMILINES ANTENNA

DESIGN:
As wireless transmission and reception gets complex, so does antenna design. Lately, several
technologies have emerged to address the limitations of traditional antenna design, resulting in a
variety of solutions with broader bandwidth and smarter capability. While some new approaches
to antenna design are meeting the challenges of new-generation commercial applications,
communications in defense is getting even more sophisticated, especially with the introduction
of software-defined radio (SDR), modern electronic warfare (EW) systems and a host of other
wideband transceiver technologies for mobile communications and surveillance. And the higher
performance must come with miniature size.

Hence, another approach was required to meet these challenges. Fractal antenna technology has
come to the rescue for designers in military and defense applications. Developed over the last 20
years, fractal antennas have proven to be a fundamentally important breakthrough in antenna
technology. This technology has allowed for antennas that are more powerful, versatile and
compact. Because a fractal antenna uses fractal geometry and builds a complex pattern from the
repetition of a simple shape, the inherent qualities of fractals enable the production of high-
performance antennas that are typically 50% to 75% smaller than traditional ones. Because
antenna performance is attained through the geometry of the conductor, rather than with the
accumulation of separate components or separate elements that inevitably increase complexity
and potential points of failure, fractal antennas offer better reliability and lower cost than
traditional antennas.

To keep readers informed of recent developments in fractal antennas,Ê
66 Defense

Electronics supplement has invited Nathan Cohen of Fractal Antenna Systems to educate our
readers on this emerging antenna technology. In the article titled ³Fractals' New Era in Military
Antenna Design,´ the author sheds new light on this technology and focuses on the benefits of
using fractals in antenna design. Some of the benefits include broadband and multiband
frequency response that derives from the inherent properties of the fractal geometry of the
antenna. Fractal technology also results in a compact size compared to antennas of conventional
designs, while maintaining good to excellent efficiencies and gains. They also feature
mechanical simplicity and design to particular multifrequency characteristics containing
specified stop bands as well as specific multiple pass bands.

Another article, ³Switched Radar Scenario Generation with Femtosecond Jitter,´ by Roger L.
Jungerman and Parmijit Samra of Agilent Technologies Inc. discusses the behavior of
synchronous and asynchronous trigger inputs in terms of the latency and repeatability of
triggered waveform events, because jitter in the waveform triggering can lead to inaccuracies in
simulation and testing of advanced radar systems. This is particularly an issue in the case of
phased array applications, where multiple arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) units are
synchronized together and must be triggered nearly simultaneously.

With the widespread proliferation of wireless systems, users often want greater security and, at
the same time, more open, easier-to-use systems that are better protected against hackers and
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intruders. The data these systems transport include everything from critical, company-
confidential data to life-protecting surveillance information. A systems intruder could cause
significant damage.

In the final article, ³Trends in Wireless Radio,´ Jeff Allen of FreeWave Technologies
investigates various spread-spectrum radios that provide reliable data communications in the
most adverse environments. Plus, the author presents a novel spread-spectrum radio with built-in
data encryption, network IDs, multiple hopping sequences, in addition to other tactics to prevent
interference and detection, as well as unauthorized access to guarantee security. They are
designed to offer long-range and superior performance in noisy environments.

CONCLUSION:

Traditional wideband antennas (spiral and log-periodic) and arrays can be analyzed
with fractal geometry to shed new light on their operating principles. More to the
point, a number of new configurations can be used as antenna elements with good

multiband characteristics. Due to the space filling properties of fractals, antennas

designed from certain fractal shapes can have far better electrical to physical size ratios
than antennas designed from an understanding of shapes in Euclidean space [Werner,
1996]. An incomplete list of fractal shapes that have been used for antennas,
monopole and dipole, includes (1) the von Koch curve, (2) the Sierpinski (gasket and
carpet) and (3) the fractal tree. Both deterministic and random arrays have been

researched, built, and deployed as receiving and transmitting antenna.