Recon gurable antennas are radiating structures that integrate an inner mechanism that allows the
modi cation of its properties (resonant frequency, radiation diagram or polarization). Pixelled antennas
are a particular type of recon gurable antennas which are composed of a grid of electrically small metallic
patches, where each pair of adjacent patches are interconnected by a RF-switch. The activation or
deactivation of these switches modi es the antenna properties.
Pixelled antennas can create a breakthrough in recon gurable antennas eld. Their increased recon-
guration capability o ers a new set of possibilities but introduces fundamental di erences due to the
high number of necessary switches. This work focuses in three points directly related with the previous
comment: the study of techniques to minimize the number of switches, the development of monolithical
integrated switches which are the more realistic approach in densely switched designs, and nally, the
implementation of a real-time recon guration system for taking full advantage of the enhanced recon gfiguration properties of pixelled antennas.
