💡 Project Motivation

Traditional antennas rely on spatial resonance—their physical size must be a fraction of the operating wavelength. This requirement makes it difficult to miniaturize wireless devices without sacrificing performance. The Single-Layer Capacitor (SLC) antenna redefines this paradigm by leveraging temporal resonance via lumped circuit elements. This project brings the SLC concept to MATLAB, enabling engineers to simulate ultra-compact, high-efficiency antennas using standard toolchains.

🧰 Key Features

• Custom MATLAB Class: The SingleLayerCapacitorAntenna_new class models SLC-based antenna arrays.
• Flexible Array Configurations: Supports single-element, rectangular, and compound (multi-subarray) layouts.
• Impedance Modeling: Computes feed-point impedance with microstrip transmission line effects and per-element feed line lengths.
• Far-Field Pattern Synthesis: Simulates 3D radiation patterns including optional image-theory-based ground plane reflections.
• Receive Mode Simulation: Evaluates incoming plane wave behavior with support for LNA gain, receiver impedance, and direction scanning.
• Visualization Tools: 2D and interactive 3D geometry views, current distribution mapping, and radiation pattern plots.

📊 Applications & Use Cases

• Academic Research: Simulate novel capacitor-based antennas for publication and study.
• RF Product Design: Prototype high-efficiency, space-saving antennas for IoT, wearables, and embedded systems.
• Array Optimization: Test beamforming, diversity, and compound configurations in simulation.
• Integration Feasibility: Evaluate how the SLC antenna can be embedded in compact wireless devices.

🔹 Supported Analyses

Analysis Type Description Impedance RLC + microstrip line modeling, reflection coefficients, matching considerations Radiation Pattern Computes normalized far-field gain patterns across azimuth/elevation/frequency Reception Simulation Computes induced voltages from incident fields, supports direction scanning Thermal Noise Simulates noise at the receiver including LNA and temperature effects Efficiency Includes both element-level and system-level efficiency tracking

🎯 Example Output

% Create a 2x2 rectangular SLC array at 2.4 GHz
antenna = SingleLayerCapacitorAntenna_new(4, 0.01, 0.001, 0.03, 0.03, ...
    2.4e9, 1, 0.5e-12, 4*pi*1e-7, 100, 1e-9, 0.5, 50, ...
    'ConfigurationType','rectangular', 'NumRows', 2, 'NumCols', 2);

% Plot far-field pattern
pattern(antenna.AntennaElement, 2.4e9);

📍 Integration Notes

• Requires MATLAB R2022b+ with:

• Phased Array System Toolbox

• RF Toolbox
• Designed for educational, research, and prototyping purposes
• Reference patterns and geometry export supported via built-in methods

📢 Call to Action

We invite developers, RF engineers, and researchers to explore this project on GitHub and try integrating SLC antenna modeling into their simulation workflows.

Let us know your results, improvements, or ideas by opening an issue or contributing a pull request. This is just the beginning of the SLC antenna simulation journey!