Miniaturization of a Microstrip Antenna with Magneto-Dielectrics Substrates for

a Passive Tag RFID Operating at 915 MHz on a Metallic Surface

Javier A. Luna Bonilla, Gaby E. Zemanate Rengifo, Luciano Prado de Oliveira and Hugo E. Hernandez Figueroa.
Department of Communications, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Campinas,
Campinas, SP 13083-852, Brazil
(javier09, gzemanat, luciano, hugo)@dmo.fee.unicamp.br

Abstract This article presents the miniaturization process of a

rectangular patch RFID antenna. Based on an RFID antenna produced
to be used on metal surfaces, a smaller antenna compatible with
the Impinj Monza 4E chip was designed. In order to match the
impedance of the chip, while maintain a performance close to that
of the original antenna at 915 MHz, a magneto-dielectric substrate was
used and simulation were done using the CST MicroWave Studio
electromagnetic simulation tool. Moreover, The new design considers
the factor of miniaturization in function of the intrinsic properties of
the substrate used. Results show that a simple design was constructed
and that it is tuned to the desired frequency, matching the impedance
of the chip.

I. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays information technologies have influenced the development of society, mainly at the level of the industry, contributing significantly in the production processes, purchases, sales, distribution
and general organizational logistics of companies. In this way, there
is a need to implement new technologies that allow the management
of information for optimal planning and execution of tasks which
will enable company growth and efficiency compliance with market
requirements. One of the technologies that has contributed to the
development of this sector is radio frequency communications,
where systems of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) have been
used for the automatic identification of products, people, animals
and all kinds of objects [14].
RFID can be defined as a data storage and retrieval system composed by a reader and a tag that communicate via electromagnetic
waves, thus it does not need a direct line of sight for its operations .
More over, the tag, which stores the information, is composed of an
antenna and a chip. A tag can be classified as active or semi-active
if it uses an external battery or as passive if it uses the method of
feeding by backscatters [6].
The RFID communication process is done by transmission and
reflection of energy. It is initiated by the reader that sends radio
frequency waves to the tag. When the tag receives the signal in
the frequency for which it was designed to operate, an impedance
adaptation between the antenna and the chip occurs. Consequently,
a coupling by backscatters is produced while the energy of the
signal is absorbed to activate the chip. Once the chip is activated,
it transmits the information contained in its memory through the
adaptation and mismatch of its impedance. Finally, the signal
produced by the tag is picked up by the reader [11].
The proper functioning of the system is affected by the environment where it will be implemented, primarily by the type of surface
where the RFID tag will be used. Previous studies have determined
that the use of tags in the UHF frequency band present problems
when attached to metal surfaces. This is due to the behavior of
electromagnetic waves in the presence of these materials. This paper

presents a study on the design of a patch-type antenna that works

on metal surfaces, and that operates on 915M Hz using a magnetodielectric substrate.
II. PATCH ANTENNA DESIGN
The rectangular patch type antennas are commonly used antenna
due to their low weight, ease of manufacture and therefore low cost.
This is basically composed of three parts; a ground plane, dielectric
substrate on top,and radiating element on its surface.
The substrate has two important features. Primarily feature is
related to its thickness. An increase in the thickness leads to an
increase in the efficiency of radiation of the antenna, but also an
increase in the losses in the dielectric, as well as an increase of
surface waves. Secondly it is about its dielectric constant.
The length of the rectangular patch is directly related to the
operating frequency of the antenna. However, due to the effect of
strip, the electrically patched microstrip antenna seems to be larger
than its physical dimension. Hence its necessary to account a L
extension in its physical dimensions which are a function of the
effective dielectric constant and the relationship of the width of the
patch and the height of the substrate, therefore the length of the
patch is given by [1].


L=


2L

2fr ref f 0 0

(1)

Where ref f and L are given by 2 and 3.

ref f =

r + 1
r 1
h 1
+[
][1 + 12 ] 2
2
2
w

(2)

w
+ 0.264]
(3)
h
To consider an adequate efficiency of radiation, the width of the
patch can be calculated as [1]:
L = [0.412h] (ref f + 0.3)[


W =

2fr 0 0

r

2
=
r + 1

c
2fr

r

2
r + 1

(4)

Where c is the speed of light, fr is the resonance frequency of

design antenna and values of permitivity r and permeability r of
the substrate on which the antenna is printed relates. It is important
to check the impedance of the chip in the operating frequency of
the antenna, to the particular case, according to the data sheet of
Monza 4E chip, this impedance has a value of Zchip= 11-j143
in 915M hz [4]. Based on its above equations, using a dielectric
substrate with r > 1 and r = 0 = 1 with r = 10 and height
h = 0.3 cm, it is estimated that the structure should have a

dimensions of L = 5.16 cm and W = 6.99 cm. The designed

antenna is shown in Figure 1 where the electromagnetic simulation
tool CST Microwave Studiois used.

Fig. 1.
Modification of a Microstrip Antenna with
r =
18, r =
31.5 and tan = 0.02 Operating in 915
MHz

The return loss and the input impedance to a discrete port of 50

are shown in Figures 2 and 3 in red color respectively. The input
impedance to the antenna as shown in Figure 3 (in red color) is
Zchip = (27.87 j92.53), therefore, in spite of that the antenna
is tuned, not operate for the RFID tag doesnt operate due to
impedance mismatch.

Could increase the value of the dielectric permittivity for minimize antenna, however, this considerably affect the efficiency of the
antenna and reduce the bandwidth, so that it is not recommended ,
in addition to that would generate greater storage and could not be
achieved in any case, the impedance matching between the antenna
and the chip, for this reason, is necessary to use a substrate whose
intrinsic characteristics can be used to design an antenna whose
input impedance is inductive type for that being able to perform the
adaptation with the chip, furthermore to overcoming the limitations
of efficiency and bandwidth [9].
According to [3], the materials magneto-dielectric provide these
features by which use a substrate with permeability larger than the
permittivity (r > r ), will allow you to significantly reduce the
size of the patch and achieve a higher bandwidth and efficiency
of the antenna that would be achieved using a substrate dielectric
type only. Experimentally using the electromagnetic simulation tool
CST Microwave Studio, work was done on an antenna model

considering the factor of miniaturization given by n = r r ,

where (r > r ) that allows to tune the antenna to 915M Hz with
an input impedance that is the complex conjugate of the impedance
of the selected chip.
In the following section presents the design of this antenna.
III. M INIATURIZATION OF A M ICROSTRIP A NTENNA

Fig. 2.
Return Loss of two Modified Microstrip Antenna with
r = 18, r = 31.5 and tan = 0.02 Operating in 915 MHz

The antenna is tuned to its first fundamental mode at a frequency

of 915M Hz with a loss of 7.75dB, however the input impedance
to the antenna to show in Figure 3 is Zchip = 27.87 j92.53,
therefore, despite of the antenna is tuned, not operate for the RFID
tag doesnt operate due to the impedance mismatch between antenna
and chip.
The size of the patch is quite large for this type of applications,
in addition to the use a substrate with high permittivity dielectric
constant is large amount of energy stored in the volume of the
structure, by which the input impedance of the chip is capacitive
type.

Fig. 3. Smith Chart of Original and Modified Design Microstrip Antenna

with r = 18, r = 31.5 and tan = 0.02 Operating in 915M Hz

The miniaturization of the patch antenna is intrinsically related to

the use of substrates of high permeability in order to compensate for
the high capacitive effect between the earth plane and the antenna
that degrades notoriously the radiation efficiency and bandwidth of
the same.
The profile of the proposed antenna shown in Figure 1 on the
right side, is designed on a 3mm thick magneto-dielectric substrate
whose relative permittivity is r = 18 and relative permeability is
r = 31.5. Due to higher permittivity and permeability the tangent
loss is tan = 0.02.
Compared to conventional, less expensive, widely used dielectric
substrate, the magneto-dielectric material substrate reduces the
width and length (W, L) antenna by a factor of 0.02130 0.0370 .
Additional to the variation of the values of permittivity and permeability of the substrate, incorporated two additional slots on the
length of the patch, in order to have greater control in the tuned in
resonance frequency of the antenna.
Concerning of the modification of the said microstrip power
supply of the patch is possible can be adjusted the values of input
impedance, the imaginary and real impedance.
Comparing the two graphics of the Figures 2, note that the use
of a substrate magneto-dielectric did not decrease the bandwidth of
operation of the antenna in the frequency of interest. Figure 3 shows
the change in the value of impedance at the antenna input, reaching
a value very close to the complex conjugate of the characteristic
impedance of the Monza 4E chip, thus allowing ensure the matching
of impedances of these two elements and the best condition of
operation of the tag.
The 3D far-field radiation characteristics at frequency 915M Hz
for the antenna modificated is plotted in Figure ??.
The result, in general, show this antenna had a stable monopolelike radiation pattern with conical radiations in elevation plane (xzplane) and a nearly omnidirectional pattern in the azimuth plane
(xy plane). The simulated directivity of proposed antenna is about
4.77dBi and the radiation efficiency is about 35%.

design of microstrip antennas on an experimental basis by electromagnetic simulation. It was demonstrated that the use of a substrate
magneto-dielectric allows miniaturize the patch in function of
the square root of the product between the dielectric permittivity
and magnetic permeability of the material while preserving the
relationship of r > r . Moreover, the use of a substrate with the
characteristics mentioned allowed to design a simple model of patch
whose impedance has an inductive behavior to which impedance
matching is achieved with the chip yielding low loss and thus return
an optimal coupling between the antenna and designed chip.
(a) Original Antenna

VI. R EFERENCES

(b) Modificated Antenna

Fig. 4.

Patrones de Radiacin.

IV. RESULTS
Using magneto-dielectric substrates considerable patch antenna
miniaturization without drastically reduce its bandwidth and maintaining an acceptable return loss value at the frequency of interest
is achieved according to what is observed in [5] . In the graphs X
radiation pattern of the two antennas described above notice that
the value of radiation efficiency of the magneto-dielectric antenna
is kept within a tolerable value when compared to the proportion
of miniaturized throughout the initial antenna and does not involve
deterioration in diretivity as described in table 1.
TABLE I
PARAMETERS OF TWO A NTENNAS
Parameters
r
r
L[cm]
W[cm]
h[cm]
Directivity[dBi]
Gain[dB]
Efficiency

Original Antenna
10
1
5.16
6.99
0.3
5.507
4.075
0.70

Miniaturized Antenna
18.5
31.5
1.2
0.7
0.3
5.562
-1.016
0.16

In addition to this notice that the performance factor of antenna miniaturization patch substrate with high permittivity fail to
compensate values capacitive impedance to ensure full adaptation
[13], and thus radiation levels desired, since substrates with high
permittivity values reduce the size but in turn the efficiency and
bandwidth are significantly reduced [10]. In conclusion, it has been
shown that antenna miniaturization can be achieved using magnetodielectric materials with improved performance if the losses can be
kept low.
V. CONCLUSION
In this article was discussed the design of a rectangular patch
antenna to an RFID tag operating at 915 MHz from the theory of

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