Abstract: The present invention provides a fragmented aperture antenna. The antenna includes a planar layer having a plurality of conductive and substantially non-conductive areas. Each area has a periphery that extends along a grid of first and second sets of parallel lines so that each area comprises one or more contiguous elements defined by the parallel lines. The locations of the conducting materials in the fragmented aperture antenna are determined by a multi-stage optimization procedure that tailors the performance of the antenna to a particular application. The resulting configuration and arrangement of conductive and substantially non-conductive areas enable communication of electromagnetic energy wirelessly in a specific direction to the planar layer when an electrical connection is made to at least one of the conductive areas.