CONTENTS

TITLE

1.0

INTRODUCTION
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

2.0

PAGE

INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVES
PROBLEM STATEMENTS
SCOPE

LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1
INTRODUCTION TO CAD SOFTWARE
2.2
PATCH ANTENNA
2.3
ARRAY DESIGN
2.4
2.5
2.6

PATCH ELEMENT
FABRICATION IMPOSED PARAMETERS
MICROSTRIP PATCH ARRAY DESIGN

2
5
6
8
8
8
8
8
8
8

3.0

METHODOLOGY
3.1
FLOWCHART
3.2
ANTENNA DESIGN
3.3
DESIGN SPECIFICATION
3.4
CALCULATION

8
8
8
8
8

4.0

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

4.1
4.2

10
10

CONCLUSION

10

5.0

1.0 Introduction

The microstrip technology was the desired invention for its advantages of small
physical size, ease of fabrication, low cost, compatibility with printed circuits and
ease of incorporation into a vehicle shell or package lid.
The design of microstrip antenna basically depends on the size and the shape of the
patch, the fabrication of s-parameter and radiation pattern. 5G will drive the future
evolution of the internet itself. To achieve these goals, developments in 5G will
primarily focus on two fundamental aspects for eliminating infrastructure bottlenecks
which is massive capacity and massive connectivity. Multiple input, multiple output
(MIMO) is an exciting area of 5G wireless research.
The next generation of wireless data networks, called the fifth generation or 5G, must
address not only capacity constraints but also existing challenges such as network
reliability, coverage, energy efficiency, and latency with current communication
systems. With hundreds of antenna elements, massive MIMO reduces the radiated
power by focusing the energy to targeted mobile users using pre-coding techniques.
By directing the wireless energy to specific users, radiated power is reduced and, at
the same time, interference to other users is decreased. This is particularly attractive
in todays interference-limited cellular networks. If the promise of massive MIMO
holds true, 5G networks of the future will be faster and accommodate more users
with better reliability and increased energy efficiency. The common design for
microstrip patch antenna is rectangular as shown below.

1.2 Objectives

1. To study the microstrip patch antenna that meet the criteria 5G MIMO
systems.
2. To design and implementation this antenna using CAD software.
3. To fabricate and measure the s parameter and radiation pattern.
4. To control the beam manually by adjusting the impedance of the parasitic
elements.
1.3 Problem Statement
One of the problem faced in order to meet the criteria of 5G MIMO systems is
adjusting the impedance of the parasitic elements manually. Furthermore, designing
the suitable size of the microstrip patch antenna. To deliver the efficiency of the new
designed parasitic antenna array for 5G MIMO systems with a specific frequency.

1.4 Scope
1. Materials to be used for the implementation of the antenna.
2. Capabilities for supporting massive capacity and massive connectivity.
3. Selection of the device and measurement of its s-parameter.

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction of CST Software

The electromagnetic simulation software CST STUDIO SUITE is the culmination
of many years of research and development into the most accurate and efficient
computational solutions for electromagnetic designs. It comprises CSTs tools for the
design and optimization of devices operating in a wide range of frequencies - static
to optical. Analyses may include thermal and mechanical effects, as well as circuit
simulation. CST STUDIO SUITE benefits from an integrated design environment
which gives access to the entire range of solver technology. System assembly and
modelling facilitates multi-physics and co-simulation as well as the management of
entire electromagnetic systems. CST STUDIO SUITE can offer considerable product
to market advantages such as shorter development cycles, virtual prototyping before
physical trials, and optimization instead of experimentation.
2.2 Patch Antenna
A patch antenna (also known as a rectangular microstrip antenna) is a type of
radio antenna with a low profile, which can be mounted on a flat surface. It consists
of a flat rectangular sheet or "patch" of metal, mounted over a larger sheet of metal
called a ground plane. They are the original type of microstrip antenna described by
Howell in 1972, the two metal sheets together form a resonant piece
of microstrip transmission

line with

length

of

approximately

one-

half wavelength of the radio waves. The radiation mechanism arises from
discontinuities at each truncated edge of the microstrip transmission line. The
radiation at the edges causes the antenna to act slightly larger electrically than its
physical dimensions, so in order for the antenna to be resonant, a length of microstrip
transmission line slightly shorter than one-half a wavelength at the frequency is used.
A variant of the patch antenna commonly used in mobile phones is the shorted patch
antenna, or planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA). In this antenna, one corner of the patch
(or sometimes one edge) is grounded with a ground pin. This variant has better
matching than the standard patch.

2.3 Array design

Once the individual patch has been designed, it then has to be incorporated into an
array. In this case, the choice of box and patch type limits the possible layouts for the
array, and so a 4 4 planar array is used. However, any arbitrary array shape can be
imported as a text file containing the location of each element and the magnitude and
phase of the feeding current.
To calculate the gain and directivity of the array, its far field needs to be found. This
can be estimated by multiplying the far field of the single patch by the array factor,
which depends only on the spatial arrangement of the elements and the amplitude
and phase of the feeding current of each element. A post-processing tool in CST
STUDIO SUITE calculates the array factor and automatically produces a theoretical
far field for an equivalent array. Optimization can then be used to adjust the spacing
between the elements to maximize the gain of the antenna, and to change the
magnitude of the feeding current to different patches to reduce the side lobes.
2.4 Patch element
The first step of designing the array is to design the individual element. For this
example, a simple rectangular patch antenna was used and was created directly in
CST STUDIO SUITE. The patch is created on a double-layered substrate with an air
gap, and is placed inside an ABS box. Two parameters need to be optimized: the
length of the patch, in order to adjust the resonant frequency of the patch, and the
depth of the air gap, in order to increase its bandwidth.
2.5 Microstrip Patch Array Design
Antenna arrays offer improved directivity compared to a single-radiator antenna. The
directivity of an array is due to interference effects between the individual elements
of the array, which means that the spatial distribution of the elements as well as
phases and magnitudes at each element need to be tuned for optimal performance.
Both the radiation pattern and S-parameters of the array is decided by several factors:
the design of the individual patch element, the arrangement and spacing of the array,
and the layout of the feed network. Each of these can be considered separately by
dividing the process of designing the array into separate stages. By creating the array
in steps, the task of optimizing the design is made less challenging, and the most
appropriate tools can be used at each stage.

METHODOLOGY
3.1 Flowchart
START

Design a parasitic
antenna array

Fabricate and measure

the s-parameter and
radiation pattern.
FAIL
Control the beam manually by adjusting the impedance of the
parasitic elements

YES
Testing the antenna patch using CST software

Display output

END
Flow Chart of Rectangular Microstrip Antenna for 5G MIMO
3.2 Antenna design
Microstrip patch antenna consists of a radiating patch on one side of a dielectric
substrate which has a ground plane on the other side. The patch is generally made
of conducting material such as copper or gold and can take any possible shape.
The radiating patch and the feed lines are usually photo etched on the dielectric

substrate. Microstrip patch antennas radiate primarily because of the fringing

fields between the patch edge and the ground plane. For good antenna
performance, a thick dielectric substrate having a low dielectric constant is
desirable since this provides better efficiency, larger bandwidth and better
radiation.

Structure of Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna

Transmission line model represents the microstrip antenna by two slots of width,
W and height, h separated by a transmission line of length L. The microstrip is
essentially a nonhomogeneous line of two dielectrics, typically the substrate and
air. Most of the electric field lines reside in the substrate and parts of some lines in
air. As a result, this transmission line cannot support pure transverse
electromagnetic (TEM) mode of transmission, since the phase velocities would be
different in the air and the substrate. Instead, the dominant mode of propagation
would be the quasi-TEM mode. Hence, an effective dielectric constant (reff) must
be obtained in order to account for the fringing and the wave propagation in the
line. The value of (reff) is slightly less than r because the fringing fields around
the periphery of the patch are not confined in the dielectric substrate but are also
spread in the air.

Electric Field Lines.

3.3

Design Specification

The three essential parameters for the design of a rectangular Microstrip Patch
Antenna are:

 Frequency of Operation (fo)

The resonant frequency of the antenna must be selected appropriately. The
resonant frequency selected for the project is 3 GHz.
Dielectric constant of the substrate (r)
The dielectric material selected for the project is FR4 which has a dielectric
constant of 2.55.
Height of dielectric substrate (h)
Because of using FR4, so height of dielectric substrate is 1.6 mm. So, the essential
parameters for the design are:
-

3.4

f0 : 3.0 GHz
r: 2.55
h : 1.59 mm

Design Procedures

a) Calculation of the Wavelength ()

C
fo

Where,
C = Speed of light, 3x108 m/s
= Wavelength
f0 = Resonant frequency, 3 GHz

3 10
9
3 10

= 100 mm
By substituting c = 3x108 m/s and f0 = 3 GHz so, = 100mm
b) Calculation the Width of Patch (W)

The width of the Microstrip patch antenna is given by equation below :

W =

c
2f

2
( r +1)

Where,

C = Speed of light, 3x108 m/s

r = Dielectric constant of the substrate
f0 = Resonant frequency

W=

3 x 10 8
2
9
(
4.7+1)
2( 3 10 )

= 29.6 mm
Because c = 3x108 and f0 = 3 GHz, the value of width, W is 29.6 mm.

c) Calculation of Effective Dielectric Constant (reff)

reff =

r+1
+
2

r1
h
-1/2
[1+12
2
w ]

Where,
reff = Effective dielectric constant
r = Dielectric constant of substrate
h

= Height of dielectric substrate

W = Width of the patch

reff

4.7+1
+
2

4.71
1.59 m
[1+12 29.6 mm ]-1/2
2

= 4.2926

By substituting h = 1.59 mm, W=29.6mm, and r = 4.7 therefore reff =

4.2926.

d) Calculation of the Effective Length (Leff)

Leff =

c
2 fo eff

Where,
C = Speed of light, 3x108 m/s
reff = Effective dielectric constant
f0 = Resonant frequency
8

3 10
9
2( 3 10 ) 4.2926 .

= 24.13 mm

By substituting reff = 4.7, c = 3x108 and f0 = 3 GHz so, Leff = 24.13 mm.
e) Calculation of the Length Extension (L)

w
+0.264)
h
L = 0.412h[
]
w
( reff 0.258)( +0.8)
h
( reff +0.3)(

Where,
reff = Effective dielectric constant
h

= Height of dielectric substrate

W = Width of the patch

29.6 mm
+0.264)
1.59 m m
L = 0.412(1.59mm)[
29.6 mm
(4.29260.258)(
+0.8)
1.59m m
(4.2926+ 0.3)(

( 4.5926 ) (18.8803)
= (6.5508x10^-4 [ ( 4.0346 ) (19.4163) ]
= 7.2509x10-4 m
By substituting reff =4.2926, W= 29.6 mm and h= 1.59 mm so, L=
7.2509x10-4 m

f) Calculation of Actual Length of Patch (L)

Leff = L + 2 L
L = L eff - 2L
Where,
L = Actual length of patch
L = Length extension
Leff = Effective length
L = 24.13mm 2(7.2509x10-4 )m
= 22.6 mm
By substituting Leff =24.13 mm and L= 7.2509x10-4 m so, L= 22.6 mm.

g) Calculation of the Ground Plane Dimensions

Calculation below is for the ground plane dimensions L(g) and W(g). The
transmission line model is applicable to infinite ground planes only. However,
for practical considerations, it is essential to have a finite ground plane. Finite
and infinite ground plane can be obtained if the size of the ground plane is
greater than the patch dimensions by approximately six times the substrate
thickness all around the periphery. Hence, for this design, the ground plane
dimensions would be given as:
L(g) = 6h+L = 6(1.59mm)+22.6mm=32.14 mm
W(g) = 6h+W = 6(1.59mm)+29.6mm= 39.14 mm

h) Input Impedance, Zin

The typical impedance at the edge of a resonant rectangular patch can be

approximated as :

in=

90 r2
r1

( W )2

Where,
r = Dielectric constant of substrate
W = Width of the patch
L = Actual length of patch
2

in =

90(4.7)
4.71

= (537.324 )(0.58295)

=313.233

22.6 mm

( 29.6 mm )2

From equation, Zin= 313.233 which does not match well with a 50
standard microstrip. Characteristic impedance, Z0 can get from the equation
below:

o=

50

Where,
o = Characteristic impedance
Zin = Input Impedance
o =

50 313.233

= 125.15
The characteristic impedance of the transition section should be 125.15 .

i)

Calculation of Feeding Line Width, Wf

Figure 3.6 : The Position Of Feeding Line Width (Wf)

The width W of the microstrip antenna is variable to controls input impedance.
When have a larger width, the bandwidth can be increase and to reduce the
impedance, the width can be increasing. However, to decrease the input
impedance to 50 Ohms often requires a very wide patch antenna, which takes
up a lot of valuable space. The normalized feeding width is approximately
given by:

 o=50 ,

A=

o r +1
60
2
50
60

4.7+1
2

r = 4.7

r 1
0.11
r +1 (0.23+ r )
4.71
0.11
4.7+1 (0.23+ 4.7 )

= (1.4068)+ (0.1645)
= 1.5713

B=

377
2 o 4.7
377
2( 50) 4.7

= 5.4631

B1ln ( 2 B1 ) +

r1
0.61
{ln ( B1 ) +0.39
}
2 r
r
w 2
=
d

w 2
4.71
0.61
= [5.46311ln ( 2 (5.4631 ) 1 ) +
{ln ( 5.46311 ) +0.39
}]
d
4.7
2 ( 4.7 )

= 1.82

W = 1.82(1.59m)
= 2.895m

Calculation of Lf is no need to be calculated. This is because, Lf will have the

same value of resistance at any length of Wf at 50.

j. Inset Feed Determination (X0 and Y0)

a) Y0 =
=

1
4 L
1
4

(22.6m)

= 5.65m
b) X0 = 2 Wf
= 2 (2.895m)
= 5.79m

The Inset feed determination for rectangular microstrip patch antenna is

(5.65m,5.79m) which is represent as (X 0,Y0).

Parameter

Manual calculation (mm)

Length of path, L

22.6

Length of ground plane, Lg

32.14

Width of patch, W

29.6

Width of feed line, Wf

2.895

Width of ground plane, Wg

39.14

Gap of feed line, Xo

5.79

Inset feed point, Yo

5.65

Substrate thickness, d

1.59

Thickness of copper, t

0.035

RESULT AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Multiple Microstrip patch antenna with CST simulation

Figure: The sequence of patch

4.2 Return Loss

It is a parameter which indicates the amount of power that is lost to the load and
does not return as a reflection. Hence the RL is a parameter to indicate how well the
matching between the transmitter and antenna has taken place. Simply put it is the
S11 of an antenna. A graph of s11 of an antenna vs frequency is called its return loss
curve. For optimum working such a graph must show a dip at the operating
frequency and have a minimum dB value at this frequency. This parameter was found
to be of crucial importance to our project as we sought to adjust the antenna
dimensions for a fixed operating frequency.
Return Loss= 20 log ll

During the process of the design of the rectangular patch antenna there is a response
taken from the magnitude of S11 versus the frequency (this is known as the return
loss), as shown in the figure.

Figure: S11 of an antenna

From the graph of the return loss show the different output as an analysis. The
reading of return loss for the design rectangular patch antenna is -16.323032 dB with
frequency of 3.076 GHz.

4.3

Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR)

VSWR is a function of the reflection coefficient, which describes the power reflected
from the antenna. If the reflection coefficient is given by

, then the VSWR is

defined by the following formula:

VSWR=

1+ ll
1ll

Where = Reflection Co-efficient

The reflection coefficient is also known as s11 or return loss. The VSWR is always a
real and positive number for antennas. The smaller the VSWR is, the better the
antenna is matched to the transmission line and the more power is delivered to the
antenna. The minimum VSWR is 1.0 and no power is reflected from the antenna
because in ideal condition.

The reading for VSWR according to graph is 1.3604482

4.4 Insertion Loss (S21)

The term insertion loss, which is often used to describe the filter characteristics,
can be considered almost the same as |S21|. The value of insertion loss and |S21| will
be different if the input and output terminal conditions dont match. Even though, the
insertion loss can be converted to |S21| by calculation, and furthermore, this situation
(= different terminal conditions) doesnt occur very often. The one thing that needs to
be paid attention is that the sign must not be ignored. While the S-parameter is
defined as target/reference, the insertion loss is defined as reference/target;
which means that S-parameter and the insertion loss are reciprocal.

The reading S-Parameter range -32.109dB to -49.951dB with d=14.482. For reading
frequency/GHz range 3.0529 to 3.1008 with d=0.047866.

4.5 Bandwidth

The reading of bandwidth of s-parameter range -10dB to -16.37dB with d=0.047866

while the frequency range 3.0529GHz to 3.1008GHz with d=6.3698 .

4.6 Farfield Directivity Abs (Phi = 90)

The reading of farfield (f=3) [1]

Frequency = 3
Main lobe magnitude = 5.94dBi
Main lobe direction = 33.0deg.
Angular width (3dB) = 130.8deg.
Side lobe level = -7.8dB

4.7 Gain

Type: Farfield
Approximation: enabled (kR >.>1)
Monitor: farfield (f=3)[1]
Component: Abs
Output: Gain
Frequency: 3
Rad. effic: -0.1514 dB
Tot. effic: -3.582 dB
Gain: 6.281 dB

CONCLUSION
In a conclusion, the project objective is to design rectangular microstrip patch antenna that
meet the criteria 5G MIMO systems. 5G Antenna Device design will require high efficiency
devices at frequencies approaching mm wave. The beam steering capability to have omnidirectional patterns. MIMO is to leverage diversity gain. Furthermore. System level
simulation increasingly important for antenna performance.
In this project, dielectric constant plays a major role in the overall performance of the
antenna. FR4 was used as substrate because the material is very low cost and has excellent
mechanical properties, making it ideal for a wide range of electronic component applications.
Through this project, we found that by changing the value of dielectric substrate and keeping
other parameters constant, it is seen that as the value of dielectric constant of substrate
decrease, the resonant frequency increases. On the other hand by increasing the value of
dielectric constant, the resonant frequency of patch antenna decreases. So, compactness of
microstrip patch antenna can be achieved. This concept is used in designing miniaturized
microstrip patch antenna.
On the other hand, by doing this project we are able to learn how to design and
perform simulations in CST Studio Software. In the project, CST software is used to design
and simulate the rectangular microstrip patch antenna after all parameter value is calculated.
Besides, we can test rectangular microstrip patch antenna by comparing between the
simulated result and experimental result. From this we are able to evaluate whether or not the
design goals were met. There is several calculations need to be consider before designing the
antenna. This calculation also will determine the functioning of rectangular microstrip patch
antenna that meet the criteria 5G MIMO systems with 3 GHz as resonant frequency. CST
Studio Software also user friendly and easy to understand.

REFERENCES

[1] Chandan Kumar Ghosh and Susanta Kumar Parui Design, Analysis and Optimization of
A Slotted Microstrip Patch Antenna Array at Frequency 5.25 GHz for WLAN-SDMA
System International Journal on Electrical Engineering and Informatics - Volume 2, Number
2, 2010
[2] R.A. Bhatti, J.-H. Choi, and S.-O. Park, Quad-band MIMO antenna array for portable
wireless communications terminals, IEEE Antennas Wirel Propag Lett 8 (2009), 129132.
[3] Z.-J. Jin, J.-H. Lim, and T.-Y. Yun, Frequency recongurable multiple input multipleoutput antenna with high isolation, IEEE Microwave Antennas Propag 6 (2012), 10951101
[4] S. Vergerio, M. Elayachi, J.-P. Rossi, and P. Brachat, Design of multiple antennas at 5
GHz for mobile phone and its MIMO performances, In: International Conference on
Electromagnetics in Advanced Applications, (ICEAA 2007), 2007, pp.1720
[5] The antenna tutorial website. http://www.antenna-theory.com/antennas.
[6] Dr.John L. Volakis. Antenna Engineering Handbook. 4th Edition. McGraw Hill, 2007.