Fractal Antennas

Ahmed Kiani, 260059400 Syed Takshed Karim, 260063503

Serder Burak Solak, 260141304

ABSTRACT object equals the length of the ruler, r, multiplied by a

number, N, of such rules needed to cover the measured object.
Fractal antenna theory is built, as is the case with If we reduce an object in Euclidian dimension D and reduce
conventional antenna theory, on classic electromagnetic 1
theory. Fractal antenna theory uses a modern (fractal) its linear size in each spatial direction its measure would
geometry that is a natural extension of Euclidian geometry. r
D
Recent efforts by several researchers around the world to increase to N r . Solving for D, the equation become
combine fractal geometry with electromagnetic theory have
led to a plethora of new and innovative antenna designs. log( N )
D
log(r)
In this report, a comprehensive overview is provided of recent
developments in the rapidly growing field of fractal antenna This is known as the Hausdorff dimension.
engineering. Fractal antenna engineering research has been
primarily focused in two areas: the first deals with the Fractal antennas are antennas that have the shaped of fractal
analysis and design of fractal antenna elements, and the structures. The fractal antennas consist of geometrical shapes
second, concerns the application of fractal concepts to the that are repeated. Each one of the shapes has unique
design of antenna arrays. attributes.

Fractals have no characteristic size, and are generally

composed of many copies of themselves at different scales. In today’s highly technological world, the use of cellular and
These unique properties of fractals have been exploited in microwave communicating devices has increased
order to develop a new class of antenna-element designs that tremendously. Needs for better communication requires better
are multi-band and/or compact in size. On the other hand, means of actualizing these functions. Antennas serve to fulfill
fractal arrays are a subset of thinned arrays, and have been the purpose.
shown to possess several highly desirable properties,
including multi-band performance. Low side-lobe levels, and
the ability to develop rapid beam forming algorithms based on
the recursive nature of fractals. Fractal elements and arrays
are also ideal candidates for use in reconfigurable systems.
Finally, we will provide a brief summary of recent work in the
related area of fractal frequency-selective surfaces.

1. INTRODUCTION

In the study of antennas, fractal antenna theory is a relatively

Figure 1 – Fractal Geometry
new area. However, fractal antennas and its superset fractal
electrodynamics is a hotbed of research activity.
2. ANTENNA BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
Fractal technology allowed designing miniature antennas and
It is interesting to note that, as fractal geometry is a superset
integrating multiple bands into a single device. Fractals are
of Euclidian geometry, so is fractal (geometry based) antenna
rough or fragmented geometric shapes that can be subdivided
theory a superset of classic (Euclidian geometry) antenna
in parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole,
theory. It is somewhat poetic that because of this set to
i.e. they display self-similarity on all scales. Two basic
superset relationship, fractal antenna analysis picks up (where
characteristics of a fractal are self-similarity and the fractal
classic theory lets off) with the spiral and the log-periodic
dimension. An object is said to be self-similar if it look
structures. We are seeing fractal antenna theory shedding new
roughly the same on any scale. The estimated length, L, of an

1
light on our understanding on the workings of classic
wideband antennas. There are many mathematical structures
that are fractals; e.g. Sierpinski’s gasket, Cantor’s comb, von
Koch’s snowflake, the Mandelbrot set, the Lorenz attractor, et
al.

Fractals also describe many real-world objects, such as

clouds, mountains, turbulence, and coastlines that do not
correspond to simple geometric shapes. Figure 3 - A Tortuous Antenna

The terms fractal and fractal dimension are due to

Mandelbrot, who is the person most often associated with the
mathematics of fractals. We can trace the origins of fractal
theory, though he did not name it, to Helge von Koch. In 1904
von Koch devised a curve that does not have a tangent
anywhere [Lauwerier, 1991]. The curve defined by von Koch
is the basis for a class of fractals that bears his name.
Mandelbrot included a definition of fractal dimension (of a Figure 4 - Fractal Antenna Geometry
geometric object) when he first talked about the concept of
fractal in 1977 [Lauwerier, 1991]. This definition, based on Each of the elements contributes to the total radiated power
one given by Hausdorff in 1919, involves a limit process. density at a given point with a vectorial amplitude and phase,
Basically, it is the change in object size vs. the change in i.e.
measurement scale, as the measurement scale approaches
zero. Logarithms are used for both size and scale. [3]

In recent years, new work on fractal antennas is coming out of

a number of research centers e.g. Boston University, An represent the strength and orientation of each of the
Pennsylvania State University, University of Pennsylvania, et individual elements, while the phases n are in general related
al.
to the spatial distribution of the individual elements over the
fractal. [1]
Currently, Nathan Cohen, a radio astronomer at Boston
University and a fractal antenna pioneer who experimented
The self-similarity property enables antennas to function in
with wire fractal antennas, owns the company Fractus Inc.,
similar ways at different ranges of wavelengths. In other
which aides in growth of these antennas.
words, the antenna retains similar radiation parameters
through numerous bands. On the other hand, the fractional
3. ANTENNA THEORY AND DESIGN
dimension property allows fractal antennas to utilize small
A fractal antenna as we can expect, is an antenna whose surrounding spaces more efficiently.
geometry is fractal. This can be achieved either through
bending or shaping a volume, or creating holes as displayed Unlike antenna arrays, fractal antennas provide the perfect
in the figure to the right. The procedure of construction can mixture of randomness and order with less components.
be further illustrated using the example of the Menger Sponge Segments of the fractals provide the disorder, while the entire
below. antenna as a whole provides the order. Figure 5 displays a
fractal shape referred to as the Koch’s Curve.

Fractal Dimension - The importance of fractional dimension

is clearly portrayed by Koch’s Curve. Bending a wire into this
fractal shape enables more of its length to be fitted into a
smaller space. The coarse geometry also generates electrical
capacitance and inductance (self-loading) thus eliminating the
external components requirement to tune the antenna or
extend its range of frequencies. Recently, Motorola started
employing the use of fractal antennas in many of its cellular
phones and have reported a 25% increase in efficiency in
comparison to the traditional piece of wire. Furthermore, such
antennas are cheaper to manufacture, can operate on multiple
Figure 2 - Menger Sponge
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bands due to its self-similarity and can be fit into the body of 4. GENERAL FEATURES
the phone because of its compact size.
The general features of fractal antennas are listed below [1]:
Earlier it was discussed that the Menger Sponge fractal shape
has a typical dimension of 2.72. This reveals one of the 1. Wideband/Multiband
unique aspects of fractal shapes; they possess non-integer 2. Compact
dimensions, that is, they exist in between them. In order to 3. Fractal Loading
fully understand this notion, it is important to abandon all 4. Frequency Independent
physical conceptions of the word and inherit its mathematical
significance. Calculating this mathematical representation is These features favor fractal antennas with a lot of advantages
somewhat difficult and requires explanation through example. over the other antenna types. Its wideband/multi-band feature
provides instantaneous spectrum access and the ability of
If one takes a square and multiplies its edges by 2, a square handling the tasks done by multiple antennas. Note that
capable of holding 8 squares of the initial size is formed. For wideband refers to the pass-band being wide with similar
the sake of clarity assumes that the initial length of each side performance whereas the multi-band refers to multiple pass-
of the square is 1cm; consequently, the final length is 2cm. bands. In terms of design the distinction between wideband
Without jumping into the math involved yet, the dimension of and multi-band is just the width of the separations of
log(8) different pass-bands.
the square is 3 , as expected.
log 2 1
The fractal loading feature uses the bends or holes that the
antenna has, to emulate the effects of inductors and
In general, for any fractal of size P made up of smaller objects capacitors. These fractals act as lumped or continuous loading
of size p, and is capable of holding N of these objects, then: elements, in a sense the equivalent circuit of such a design
would include multiple capacitors and inductors. In contrast,
P = Size of Fractal, p = Smaller Objects of size p the fractal antenna adds inductance and capacitance without
D
P any additional components. Hence the antenna can be made
Number of Objects (N) = , where D = Hausdorff very compact and cost efficient since those additional
p components can be very expensive in applications using ultra-
Dimension In reference to the Koch’s Curve Example: high frequencies or microwaves.

P = 3cm, p = 1cm, N = 48/12 = 4 The frequency independency allows the antenna to have a
consistent performance over a large frequency range.
Therefore, D = 1.2618595071429 [4]
Fractal antennas have a variety of shapes and forms. For
starters, a quarter-wavelength monopole can be transformed
into a short fractal antenna using Koch fractals or the
Minkowski islad fractals can be used to model loop antennas
or the Sierpinski gasket can be used as a fractal array [2][3].
To grasp a better understanding of the fractal antenna
features, we will focus on the Koch fractal antenna and
compare it to the conventional quarter-wavelength monopole.

KOCH FRACTAL ANTENNA VS. SHORT

Figure 5 - Koch’s Curve MONOPOLE

It is this unique property of fractal shapes that make them so Koch fractal antennas are originated from the straight
intrinsic to antenna design. Unlike purely 3 dimensional monopole using the Koch fractal, shown in Figure 5, through
objects, fractals make better use of their surrounding space. multiple iterations.

Figure 6 - Basis of Koch Fractal

The straight monopole and three iterations are shown below.

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 KO K1

Figure 8 - Input Impedance of Various Iterations

From the graphs, we can see that with the increasing number
of iterations, we get multiple resonant frequencies providing
the antenna the multi-band feature.

The resonant frequencies can be calculated using the formula:

f = c/(4×l) as well as they can be obtained from the program.
The both set of values are given in the table below.
K2 K3

Antenna Res. Freq. Res. Freq.

Figure 7 - 4 Iterations of Koch Fractal Antenna from Nec Calculated
K0 1203 MHz 1250 MHz
EFFECTIVE LENGTH
K1 983 MHz 938 MHz
K2 836 MHz 703 MHz
The original straight monopole has a physical length of 6cm
K3 740 MHz 527 MHz
which is also its effective length whereas the iterations also
have physical lengths of 6cm but their effective length change
Both set values for resonant frequencies are decreasing but it
by the equation give below [4].
is interesting to note that the simulation values are not
decreasing as rapidly as expected which could be a limitation.
l: effective length
h: initial length
CURRENT DISTRIBUTION
n: number of iterations
At 740 MHz K3 reaches its resonant frequency and its current
The effective lengths of different iterations are given below.
distribution seen in Figure 8 resembles a sinuous pattern
whereas K0, the straight monopole, still acts like a
Antenna Effective Length
electrically short monopole and has a triangular current
K0 6cm
distribution. The higher modes of the fractal antennas also
K1 8cm have a sinusoidal current distribution.
K2 10.67cm
K3 14.22cm

RESONANT FREQUENCY

The antenna design program NEC (Numerical

Electromagnetics Code), the real and imaginary parts of the
input impedance was calculated for different iterations [5]. It
is shown that as iterations increase, i.e. the effective length
increases, the resonant frequency decreases. The input
impedance graphs are shown in Figure 8.

Figure 9 - Current Distribution for K3 and K0

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 THE RADIATION PATTERN increases. Quality factor of an antenna is inversely
proportional to its bandwidth. However narrow bandwidth
The radiation patterns of K0 and K3 antennas were plotted antennas are not preferable due to the difficulty of matching.
using the program. The relevant calculations were made at the
resonant frequencies of the antennas, given previously. The The high physical length of the Koch fractal antenna results
plots for E-plane and H-plane radiations are given in Figure in a relatively low Q. In fact, as the number of iterations
10 and 11 respectively. increase, the quality factor reached its fundamental limit [6].
This is shown in Figure 12.

Figure 10 - E-Plane Radiation of K3 and K0

Figure 12 - Quality Factor of Five Iterations

MULTIBAND FEATURE

The bandwidths of the fractal antenna and the short monopole

is graphed with respect to decreasing wavelength is shown in
Figure 13 below.

Figure 11 - H-Plane Radiation of K3 and K0

As seen in figure 5, the fractal antenna has a null at 90

degrees in E-plane radiation due to the symmetry of the
fractals and the electric and magnetic fields cancelled in this
direction.

For H-plane, the contours of the fractal antennas are pointing

into the 0 degree direction and due to the symmetry of the
fractal antenna at resonance, the E and H fields are added and
cancelled in the far field to give a symmetrical pattern.
Figure 13 - Bandwidth of Koch Fractal and K0 over Various
QUALITY FACTOR (Q) AND BANDWIDTH Wave length

Quality factor measures the ratio of an antenna’s radiated From the above figure we can observe that the fractal antenna
energy to its stored energy. For a short monopole, as the has a wider pass band; this is more obvious in smaller
physical length decreases, the radiation resistance decreases wavelengths. To increase the bandwidth, an antenna should
causing an increase in the reactive components and hence Q
5
have a spatially efficient geometrical configuration. In fact,
the fractal antennas do satisfy this.

In a fractal antenna, as the number of iterations, thus the

contours, increase, the coupling between the wires become
more complicated and different segments of the wire resonate
at different frequencies; hence the antenna demonstrates
multi-band effects. From the Figure 14, we can observe the
number of resonant frequencies for K3 and K0. It is see that
K3 has 12 and K0 has 5 resonant frequencies.

Figure 16 - Sierpinski Gasket

Sierpinski array has low sidelobes and quite unidirectional

radiation pattern which is seen in Figure 17. Also one should
note that when compared to a conventional dipole, the fractal
array has very similar radiation pattern over a variety of
frequencies giving it a frequency independent feature.

Figure 14 - Reflection Coefficient of K0 and K5

RADIATION EFFICIENCY

Radiation of an antenna depends on the radiation resistance.

For fractal antennas, as the iterations increase, the radiation
resistance decreases. Hence the radiation efficiency decreases.
The Figure 15 displays this phenomenon

Figure 17 - Radiation Pattern for Sierpinski Gasket

Figure 15 - Radiation Efficiency for various Koch Fractals

FRACTAL ARRAYS

Although Koch fractal antennas superior effective length and Figure 18 - Radiation Pattern for Linear Dipole
advantageous features, in some applications it might not be
the preferred antenna due to its omni-directionality. In such 5. APPLICATIONS
application, a better choice would be fractal arrays. A fractal
array consists of uniformly spaced elements that are arranged A fractal antenna is created using the fractal geometry. The
in fractal spatial arrangement [7] [8]. A common used fractal inherent qualities of fractals enable the production of high
array is the Sierpinski gasket shown in Figure 16. performance antennas that are typically 50 to 75 percent
smaller than traditional antennas. Fractal antennas are also
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reliable and cost-effective. Antenna performance is attained Portable Devices:
through the geometry of the conductor, rather than with the
accumulation of separate components or elements that High performance, compact fractal antennas enable unique
increase complexity and potential failure points. Fractal mobile device configurations not previously possible. Fractal
antennas also allow for multiband capabilities, decreased antennas are being used in 2G and 3G mobile sets along with
size, and optimum smart antenna technology. Fractal antennas PDA’s and portable media players. Mobile TV is also a very
can be produced in all existing antenna types, including recent application in which fractal antennas are supporting
dipole, monopole, patch, conformal, bicone, discone, spiral, wireless broadcasting in WiMax, WLAN and Satellite
and helical. Many hybrid designs greatly extend frequency platforms. In TV broadcasting for mobile phones, handsets
ranges. Some of the unique applications of fractal antennas create a range of antenna design challenges because of
are discussed in the following: interference from overlapping DVB-H and GSM frequencies
and the differing effects of users' hand and body positions
COMMERCIAL when they are viewing the TV screen, when it is usually held
towards the lap, or making phone calls. Early mobile TV
From RFID and automated meter reading, to telematics, handsets used the headphone cable as the mobile TV antenna,
mobile devices, and wireless data networks, fractal antennas rendering the device useless without the headphones.
provide the optimal design solution for a myriad of
commercial uses. With the ideal combination of size,
performance, and form factor, fractal antennas give
unparalleled flexibility to wireless designers and other form
of antenna manufacturers.

Wireless Networks:

Fractal antennas enable emerging wireless networking

protocols, such as ZigBee, WiMAX, and MIMO. Telematics
Fractal antennas are ideal for automobiles requiring compact
multiband antennas for telecommunications, emergency Figure 19 - JULIA-10 ISM 2.4 GHz Panel Antenna
notification, navigation, satellite radio, security, and
television services. For an example, the space filling and
multi-level properties of fractal technology results in much
smaller base station antennas that have multi-band
capabilities. This directly translates into reduced physical size
and visual impact of all infrastructure antennas without
affecting antenna performance, a major benefit for developers
of networks - from international telecommunications
operators to regional or local WLAN developers. Fractus, one
of the leading fractal antenna manufacturers, builds antenna
for WLAN base stations. One of their recent products is a
thin base station which has a sectorial antenna for 2.4 GHz
WLAN. The specifications and the radiation pattern are given
below:[10] Figure 20 - Radiation Pattern

Frequency Range 2.4 - 2.5 GHz Fractus was the first telecommunication antenna developer to
Directivity/Gain 16 dBi / 15 dBi announce a suite of DVB-H and ISDB-H internal mobile TV
Impedance 50 Ω antenna solutions for all three mobile TV frequencies; VHF,
Polarization VPOL UHF and 1.6GHz L-band. Their Fractus TVNow™ antennas
F/B Ratio > 20 dB include a fully customised internal antenna for VHF, and a
VSWR < 1.5: 1 customised and integrated solution for UHF and 1.6GHz L-
Vertical Beamwidth 30° band. The range also includes a modular and compact SMT
Horizontal Beamwidth 35° (surface mounted technology) antenna for UHF and 1.6GHz
Connector (Pig Tail) RP-TNC or RP-SMA L-band, with a size of just 40 x 4.8 x 5mm3, which can reduce
Radome ABS DVB-H handset platform size by as much as 25%. This
Dimensions 21 x 21 x 3 cm means that a fully customised mobile TV antenna can be
discretely housed within the handset, no matter what the
DVB-H frequency, helping OEMs and ODMs reduce product

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development costs and time to market, and enabling greatly
improved design options. The TVNow range also includes
ISDB-H antennas, ensuring all mobile TV requirements are
covered by the range.[10]

Figure 22 - UACM Gains at Different Elevation for Different

Frequencies

Automated Meter Reading:

Fractal antennas enable drive-by monitoring of electric, gas,

and water meters, as well as mesh networks for remote, online
monitoring. Defense & Intelligence The inherent wideband
qualities of fractal antennas are ideal for defense and
intelligence applications. Compact size, versatile form factor,
rugged construction, and superior wideband performance
provide system integrators with the flexibility needed to meet
Figure 21 - Mobile TV Antenna Performance Specs rigorous requirements. With field-proven technology and an
innovative, experienced engineering staff, Fractal Antenna
RFID: Systems is uniquely qualified to serve this sector, with
antennas that can cover up to a 200:1 frequency range.
Small, versatile, and cost-effective, fractal antennas are
perfect for both RFID tags and readers, giving them Electronic Warfare:
multiband capability.
Featuring both extreme frequency range and power handling
In-Building Communication: capability, fractal antennas are used in many innovative
electronic warfare systems. The bow-tie antenna (used by the
Ceiling-mounted, omni directional Universal Access Ceiling US military) for example, can operate efficiently over
Monopole (UACM) antenna delivers wideband performance different frequency bands. Compact designs allow antennas to
in a compact unit. Operating over 380 MHz to 6 GHz, the be used in a variety of locations, including vehicle, marine,
UACM antenna delivers excellent omnidirectional coverage airborne, fixed, or personnel-worn.
in a compact form factor for broadband in-building wireless
applications. The antenna is easily mounted on the ceiling, Signal Intelligence:
where its fractal antenna design allows for an inconspicuous,
low profile at roughly a third the size of a conventional Extreme wideband frequency coverage, plus compact,
design. At higher elevations, the UACM has excellent gain, versatile form factors allow fractal antennas to monitor
avoiding typical room barriers, such as cubicle walls. The communications undetected. The US navy uses fractal
UACM also allows the building to be “future proof”, as its antennas in detecting underwater materials.
wideband capacity will accommodate all updates to in-
building communications. The gain specifications of UACM Tactical Communications:
are given below: [9]
Wideband fractal antennas enable the most advanced mobile
tactical communications, combining bandwidth,
interoperability, power handling, and compact form factor.
Fractal Antenna Systems recently designed a thin film
antenna that can be used in windshields in vehicles and also
8
windows in buildings for communication purposes. The
antenna is made out of transparent conductive material which
is unnoticeable, even observed from close range.
REFERENCES
6. CONCLUSION
[1] Fractal Antenna Systems Incorporated, Available at:
Traditional wideband antennas (spiral and log-periodic) and http://www.fractenna.com/our/features.html (Accessed on:
arrays can be analyzed with fractal geometry to shed new light 10th April, 2007)
on their operating principles. More to the point, a number of
new configurations can be used as antenna elements with [2] J. P. Gianvittorio and Y. Rahmat-Samii, ì Fractal
good multiband characteristics. Due to the space filling Antennas: A Novel Miniaturization Technique and
properties of fractals, antennas designed from certain fractal Applications,î IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine,
shapes can have far better electrical to physical size ratios vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 20-36, February 2002
than antennas designed from an understanding of shapes in
Euclidean space. An incomplete list of fractal shapes that [3] D. H. Werner, R. L. Haupt, and P.L. Werner, ì Fractal
have been used for antennas, monopole and dipole, includes Antenna Engineering: The Theory and Design of Fractal
(1) the von Koch curve, (2) the Sierpinski (gasket and carpet) Antenna Arrays,î IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine,
and (3) the fractal tree. Both deterministic and random arrays vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 37-59, October 1999
have been researched, built, and deployed as receiving and
transmitting antennas [4] C. P. Baliarda, J. Romeu, and A. Cardama, ì The Koch
Monopole: A Small Fractal Antenna,î IEEE Trans. Antennas
and Propagation, vol. 48, pp. 1773-1781, November 2000
[5] The Small Koch Fractal Monopole: Theory, design and
applications,Lora Schulwitz, Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science, University of Michigan, 2

[6] C. P. Baliarda, J. Romeu, and A. Cardama, The Koch

Monopole: A Small FractalAntenna, IEEE Trans., Antennas
and Propagation, vol. 48, pp. 1773-1781, November 2000

[7] New fractal antennas for compact and versatile

telecommunication services, Microwave Journal, vol. 43, pp.
196, January 2000

[8] C. P. Baliarda, ì Fractal Design of Multiband and Low

Side-Lobe Arrays,î IEEE Trans. Antennas and Propagation,
vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 730-739, May 1996

[9] Fractal Antenna Systems White Paper, “Ceiling-mounted,

Omni directional Universal Access Ceiling Monopole
(UACM) antenna delivers wideband performance in a
compact unit”, 2006, [online] Available
at:http://www.fractenna.com/downloads/FractalAntenna_UA
CM.pdf (Accessed on: 10th April, 2007)

[10] Fractus - Optimised Antennas for Wireless Devices,

Available at: http://www.fractus.com (Accessed on: 10th
April, 2007)