Antenna Design: Custom Antennas for Cellular Applications

Cellular devices must go through additional certifications such as network operator approvals and/or PTCRB. Some of the required testing, such as OTA (TRP/TIS) testing is tied directly to antenna performance, thus it is critical to have a well performing antenna. A highly efficiency antenna will make for a smooth approval process. A low performing antenna may necessitate PCB redesign or even mechanical redesign. Custom antennas remove the guess work of antenna performance since electromagnetic simulations are ran before any real hardware or mechanical design is finished. Trade-off studies can be performed to find a given antenna and ground plane size that will meet network operator requirements with margin. Multiple antenna prototypes are built, tuned and tested for far-field pattern, polarization, gain and efficiency. The best antenna solution can then be chosen to be integrated into the PCB/mechanical design.