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The Theory of Characteristic Modes (TCM) is proposed as a systematic approach to antenna design to achieve the goal of finding the antenna structure with optimum broadband behavior. This theory provides a physical insight to the radiating nature of microstrip patch antennas and reduces the design optimization time. In this work, the resonant behavior of the highly radiating structure of the single U-slot rectangular patch on a single-layer εr = 4.4 substrate is analyzed using TCM. Modal analysis of this single-layer structure with different single feed excitations concludes that VSWR ≤ 2 impedance bandwidth in the order of 96% can be achieved with a single T-probe feed. Experimental results, included here, show VSWR ≤ 2 impedance bandwidth in the order of 71%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]