Series‐Fed Higher Order Mode Planar Dipole Antenna Arrays for High‐Gain Applications

ABSTRACT

This letter presents a compact, high‐gain planar dipole antenna array (PDAA) that employs third resonant mode (TRM) excitation in a series‐fed configuration to enhance endfire radiation. Undesired out‐of‐phase current components generated by third higher‐order mode (HOM) excitation are redirected through bent stubs, while integrated meander lines suppress residual reverse currents. This dual current‐control mechanism simultaneously improves gain and reduces sidelobe levels (SLLs). The proposed two‐element PDAA achieves a peak gain of 10.7 dBi with an impedance fractional bandwidth (FBW) of 29.87% (|S ₁₁ | ≤ −10 dB), demonstrating the effectiveness of the design. The concept is further extended by employing the proposed structure as the driven element of a quasi‐Yagi antenna. A single director is added, increasing the gain to 11.3 dBi while maintaining an FBW of 28.87%. This extension provides additional gain enhancement while preserving the compact configuration.