SPE-11-8-091/C Page 2 of 19

1. Introduction

This specification covers the Dielectric PIFA Antenna for 2400-2484MHz,

covering such applications as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee. A ceramic

dielectric

PIFA antenna offers smallest footprint, superior gain characteristics and

improved isolation over traditional PCB based antennas. This antenna has

been developed for the top right hand corner edge of the component side

of the Board (bottom left corner edge), the antenna has to be positioned

on a non-ground (copper/metal free) area with the feed-point matched

direct to the module. Please refer to Recommended Foot print Diagram

(8.0 Page 13.).

Many module manufacturers specify peak gain limits for any antennas

that are to be connected to that module. Those peak gain limits are based

on free-space conditions. In practice, the peak gain of an antenna tested

in free-space can degrade by at least 1 or 2dBi when put inside a device.

So ideally you should go for a slightly higher peak gain antenna than

mentioned on the module specification to compensate for this effect,

giving you better performance.

Upon testing of any of our antennas with your device and a selection of

appropriate layout, integration technique, or cable, Taoglas can make

sure any of our antennas’ peak gain will be below the peak gain limits.

Taoglas can then issue a specification and/or report for the selected

antenna in your device that will clearly show it complying with the peak

gain limits, so you can be assured you are meeting regulatory

requirements for that module.

For example, a module manufacturer may state that the antenna must

have less than 2dBi peak gain, but you don’t need to select an embedded

antenna that has a peak gain of less than 2dBi in free-space. This will

give you a less optimized solution. It is better to go for a slightly higher

free-space peak gain of 3dBi or more if available. Once that antenna gets

integrated into your device, performance will degrade below this 2dBi