Design and Investigation of Broadband Monopole Antenna Loaded with Non-Foster Circuit

The possibility of using non-Foster circuit to expand the bandwidth of a monopole antenna is investigated theoretically. Beginning with an inductor-loaded monopole antenna resonating at different frequencies by changing the value of the loaded inductor, we show that a frequency-dependent inductor is needed to enhance the bandwidth of the monopole antenna. The curve for the reactance of the frequency-dependent inductor versus frequency is fitted, which enlightens us to use a non-Foster reactive circuit to realize the frequency-dependent inductor. Based on the above studies, a monople antenna loaded with a non-Foster circuit is presented. Simulated results demonstrate that the input reactance of the loaded antenna becomes stable and approaches zero, which favors the impedance matching and extends the bandwidth to a certain extent. Finally, a passive (Foster) matching circuit is designed to improve the bandwidth further. A 0.69-m monopole antenna with 2.0:1 VSWR in the frequency range 30--150 MHz is designed and investigated.