Internal wireless antennae take new approach with fractals

WALTHAM, USA: Fractal Antenna Systems Inc. has announced the latest approach to internal antennae for wireless devices. Called a ‘Fractal Rezchip’ component, the patented, tiny, inexpensive chip-like units turn wireless devices into their own multiband or broadband antenna.

Explains inventor Nathan Cohen, CEO of the firm: ”The Fractal Rezchip component harps back to the earliest days of wireless, where the antenna was considered part of a resonant or ‘syntonic’ system, not a stand- alone device. Our patented fractal technology allowed us to shrink resonant circuits without component capacitors or inductors, making a tiny, inexpensive plug-in resonator. The ground plane of the wireless device, already known to be a part of the antenna, is thus exploited, with the Fractal Rezchip™, as a remarkably versatile antenna system.”

As an example of the component’s versatility, Cohen describes a Fractal Rezchip, which turns a small wireless device into a broadband/multiband system working from 700 MHz on up to 6 GHz.

Cohen describes the Fractal Rezchip as an enabling technology that lets wireless devices, even the smallest, leverage the many bands available for use, without several stand alone antennas presently needed. The costs saving are thus dramatic, with only one antenna, enabled by a cheap chip component.

The Fractal Rezchip component itself can be just a few millimeters in size and a fraction of that in height. However, Cohen stresses Fractal Rezchip components are resonant circuits and part of the wireless device, which acts overall as the antenna.

“Others may claim to have micro-sized, high- performance antennae which are very electrically small. But, in fact something like that cannot exist now, and will not exist in the future,” says Cohen, “The Fractal Rezchip is not a Wi-Fi antenna the size of a grain of sand, for example. We recognize and exploit the fact that there exists the rest if the beach.”

Availability of the new technology commences with custom designs for select customers with needs of 200,000+ units. Off the shelf vended versions will be released in Q1/Q2 2011.