Shared-aperture antennas based on mode modulation of a patch antenna and spoof surface plasmon polaritons

Light-weight shared-aperture antennas require the integration of multiple functions in separate frequency bands within the same physical aperture, having great potential use in remote sensing, radiometers, telemetry and communication, etc. In this letter, a method for designing light-weight shared-aperture antennas based on engineering of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) is presented. The proposed antenna consists of a feeding patch and a SSPP structure. Even and odd modes can be excited in different bands to realize different radiation performances. The simulated and measured results both corroborate that the presented shared-aperture antenna can achieveomnidirectional radiation at around 3.1 GHz and end-fire radiation at around 10.65 GHz, with peak gains about 1.90 dB and 6.24 dB, respectively. Without using several radiators and complex feeding networks, the antenna can work in two bands with different radiation patterns. This work provides an effective alternative design for shared-aperture antennas in light-weight and multi-functional wireless communication systems.