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23 | Common antenna types include aperture, reflector, lens, array, and metamaterial. Types of aperture antennas, not to be confused with the aperture of an antenna, include waveguide horns, slots, and other cavity-type antennas. Reflector antennas, such as parabolic dish antennas, are designed using a reflective structure and a feed antenna that directs the electromagnetic waves to the reflector to achieve a desired antenna pattern. This generally enhances directivity, as the radiated energy is concentrated in a specific direction rather than spread in multiple directions. The reflector helps convert a spherical wave—where electromagnetic waves radiate outward in all directions from a point source—into a collimated plane wave, meaning the wavefronts are parallel and travel in a single direction along the reflector axis, improving signal focus and efficiency. Lens antennas use dielectric structures to warp the path of the wavefront emitted by a feed antenna. They can be used similarly to reflector antennas to enhance directivity, or to reduce directivity and enhance the beamwidth. Depending on the complexity of a lens antenna, the dielectric structure can be designed to be frequency selective. Array antennas use a line, grid, or mesh of smaller antenna structures that can behave as a much larger antenna that may otherwise be impractical to fabricate. With the appropriate electronics, array antennas can be made electronically steerable and facilitate spatial diversity schemes, such as multi- input multi-output (MIMO). Metamaterial antennas are a diverse class of antennas made using dielectric or conductive structures. They use electromagnetic phenomena and geometry to achieve antenna behavior that is different from what can be achieved with bulk materials. Antenna Design and Selection Designing and selecting an antenna involves evaluating the performance dynamics and criteria of the rest of the RF system (e.g., transmitter or receiver dynamics), application requirements for communication or sensing technology, and the constraints of regional spectrum and safety regulations. Matching Antennas to Existing Systems In some cases, an antenna is selected based on available resources and technologies after an RF system has been designed. In this case, an antenna must conform to all the other criteria FP40 Auto Antennas mouser.com/te-fp40-auto-antennas