Research on metamaterials for antenna applications

During the last 20 years a lot of attention has been paid to apply Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) technology in different frequency ranges, from microwaves to optics. EBG technology is based on the use of periodic structures to prevent the electromagnetic propagation in certain frequency ranges, known as the bandgap [1]. In the last years the new and revolutionary field of Metamaterials is trying to be applied to similar applications. Although different, both technologies have some similitudes as it has been proven for different authors. For instance when working with EBG structures Left-Handed properties can be obtained in some frequency ranges. In this paper, research efforts focussed on applying EBG technology and the more recent Metamaterials, in particular, left-handed materials, to antenna subsystems at microwave and (sub)millimetre wave frequencies are introduced.