The Eighth International Conference on Electronic Measurement and Instruments
Design and Simulation of TEM Double Ridge Guide Horn
Antenna
Liu Wei Xi XiaoLi
(Xi’an University of Technology, xi’an shaanxi, 710048)
Abstract: A small dimension UWB (Ultra Wideband) TEM
Double Ridge Guide Horn (DRGH) Antenna, which operates
between the frequency range of 0.1~1GHz, is designed and
optimized using the CST soft in this paper. By comparing three
kinds of structure, the antenna size can be largely reduced
through adjusting the ridge curve and ridge width. The results
show that the optimized antenna has well-behaved broad
performance in the band of 0.1~1GHz.
Key words: TEM DRGH antenna, ridge curve, ridge width
1 Introduce
Wideband horn antennas have been used in the
fields of radar and Electromagnetic Compatibility
(EMC) for about 50 years [2 ]. Ultra Wideband (UWB)
double-ridged guide horn (DRGH) antenna, which can
work in the band of 1-18GHz relies on a
“well-behaved” pattern such as for EMC
measurements, primary reflector feeds or calibration
purposes [2].
Compared with other UWB antennas, the DRGH
antenna can supply UWB frequency band, and high
gain. It has simple feed, good direction and low back
radiation, and has been widely used in the fields of
EMC and radar [2-6]. But due to extending from the
dispersive transmission line-ridge guide, DRGH
antenna has narrow band to insure the single mode
spread[3,5]. The side faces of DRGH antenna are
taken away to form the non-dispersive TEM
transmission line, thus extend the antenna operating
frequency band. So we follow the theory to design the
TEM DRGH antenna [5].
Generally, the axis length of the TEM horn flares
of DRGH antenna is selected as half of the
1-4244-1135-1/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE.
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ICEMI’2007
wavelength of the lowest frequency. However, for the
0.1-1GHz frequency range, the length will be 1.50m,
which will make the antenna have a large dimension.
So we optimize the ridge width and curve shape, the
antenna size can be reduced to quarter of wavelength
of the lowest frequency as well as well-behaved broad
performance [1-6].
Three TEM DRGH antennas are simulated and
compared in this paper. For the need of fact project,
we design the TEM DRGH antenna, which works in
the band range of 0.1-1GHz. Through optimizing the
ridge width and curve shape in the aperture, the
antenna size can be largely reduced, and the results are
ideal.
2 TEM DRGH Antenna model
The TEM DRGH antenna is composed of the 50
¡coaxial feed, back cavity, coax-guide transition, the
TEM horn flares and double ridges, shown as Fig.1.
The inner conductor of coaxial line is led through
a hole in the down ridge and connects to the up ridge
and the out conductor touches the down ridge to
achieve the transition from coax to guide. In order to
reduce the back reflection, the length of cavity is
designed as the 1/4 wavelength of the center
frequency of the antenna. The TEM horn flare parts
are extended by the H plane ridge guide. According to
exponent or logarithm [1], double ridges insure the
energy flow along main axis of the antenna.
Three antenna models are designed and simulated
as following structures.
2.1 Model A
The TEM DRGH antenna model A is designed
with 150cm axial flares, exponential ridges and ridge
width 8cm. Fig 1 shows the structure of model A.
The Eighth International Conference on Electronic Measurement and Instruments
Fig.1 structure of model A
2.2 Model B
Still with exponential ridges, the axial flare
length of TEM DRGH antenna model B reduces to
70cm, ridge width is 8cm, see Fig.2.
Fig.2 structure of model B
2.3 Model C
Because the exponential ridge does not match the
vacuum wave impedance, a big reflection will occur
on the antenna aperture. We modify the ridge width
and ridge curve shape, and obtain the 70cm TEM
DRGH improved antenna model C. See the model in
the Fig.3.
Fig.3 structure of model C
The ridge of model C is approximate exponential
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slippery ridge shape, the length of the TEM horn
flares is 70cm, and the ridge width is changing from
8cm to 16cm.along the exponent.
The detail dimensions of other structures of the
three models are as follows: antenna aperture width is
80cm, and height is 58cm. Ridge width is 8cm, and
the length of back cavity is 15cm..
Broadband feed matching is another sticking
point, we select 1/4 wavelength of the center
frequency U short board to decline the back radiation.
Furthermore, the factors such as the ridge distance at
feed in, probe diameter all effect the antenna
performance, we can inching the factors in the
simulation to optimize the antenna.
2.4 Analysis method
The antenna is performed using time domain
electromagnetic simulation software CST Microwave
StudioTM which based on time domain finite element
integral. The antenna is modeled as a perfect electrical
conductor (PEC) structure fed by a coaxial line with
50 ohm impedance. A Gauss pulse whose magnitude
is 1, half of pulse width is 1.77ns, is set up in the
waveport of the coaxial line. Adaptive mesh grid is
used from 10 cells per wave length to 30cells per
wave length. Due to character of antenna structure, a
perfect magnetic conductor symmetry plane, YOZ
plane in Fig.1, is used to solve only half of the
geometry as well as reduce the calculate time.
3 Results
This work optimizes the ridge slippery shade
form feed to aperture, the ridge shape on the aperture
and the ridge width. The purpose is through Modified
the ridge curve to reduce the antenna size, as the same
time, confirm the antenna parameters, such as the
VSWR, Gain, and radiation pattern, have good
characteristic performance in the band of 0.1-1GHz.
Using the CST software, we can obtain the
parameters, such as VSWR, the Gain and radiation
pattern. By the way of adjusting the antenna structure
factors, we can get different results, from which the
optimized model is found. The VSWR, Gain and
radiation pattern of the three models are compared and
showed in following figures.
The Eighth International Conference on Electronic Measurement and Instruments ICEMI’2007

Fig.4 shows the computed VSWR as function of

frequency for three models.

(a)
Fig.4 VSWR of three models

It can been seen that the VSWR of 150cm exponential

ridged antenna is <than 3 in the lower frequency band,
in the other frequency range it is <than 2 .The VSWR
of 70cm exponential ridged antenna is deteriorated in
the lower frequency band, but VSWR is still < than
3.5, in the other frequency range it is <than 2 . 70cm
ridged improved antenna has distinct improvement in
the whole band of 0.1-1GHz, VSWR is <than2.5. The
results show that the optimizing design can largely
improve the VSWR in the lower frequency band. (b)
Fig.6 radiation patterns of three models
(a) E-plane (b) H-plane

Fig.6 shows three models’ gain radiation patterns in

Fig.5 Gain of three models
The Gain of the three antenna models is showed
in the Fig.5. The maximum Gain of the 150cm
antenna is 14dB, minimum Gain is 5dB. Compared to
the 150cm antenna, the Gains of two 70cm antennas
have declined to maximum 9.5dB, minimum 5dB.
Fig.6 is the radiation patterns of three models, (a)
shows the E-plane, and (b) is H-plane.
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0.5GHz. From the picture above, it is found that the
gains in E-plane and H-plane of 150cm antenna are
little larger than the 70cm antennas. And the E-plane
pattern of 150cm antenna is wider than 70cm ones,
H-plane pattern is narrower than 70cm ones.
Fig.7 shows the radiation patterns of 70cm ridged
improved antenna in 0.2-0.9GHz frequency range. It
can be seen that the antenna has well radiation
patterns in both E-plane and H-plane field. The major
lobe of H-plane pattern splits when the frequency
above 0.8GHz.
The Eighth International Conference on Electronic Measurement and Instruments ICEMI’2007

excellent VSWR than the former ones, and its

radiation patterns in the whole frequency range of
0.1-1GHz has little change. Therefore, the 70cm
ridged improved antenna has well-behaved broad
performance in the frequency range of 0.1-1GHz, and
the optimizing design can make the antenna size
largely reduced.

Reference

[1] LIN Chang-lu,antenna project notebook [M], Beijing:

Publishing house of Electronic Industry, June 2002.
[2] C.Burns, P.Leuchtmann, and R. Vahldieck, Analysis and
Simultaion of a 1-18-GHz Broadband Double-Ridged
Horn Antenna, [J] IEEE Trans. Electromagn. Compat., vol.
45, pp. 55-60, February 2003.
(a)
[3] M.Botello-Perez, H.Jardon-Aguilar, and I.Ruiz, Design and
Simulation of a 1 to14 GHz Broadband Electromagnetic
ompatibility DRGH Antenna, [C] ICEEE-ICE 2005, 2nd
International Conference on Electrical and Electronics
Engineering, pp.118-121, Sept. 2005.
[4] SHAO Yu-feng, A Simplified Design of Wide Band Ridged
Horn Antenna[J]. Modern Radar.Vol 26,No.5: 65 - 67.
May 2004.
[5] ZHANG Guang-fu, Transient Antenna and its Applications
in Ultrawideband Radar[D]. National University of
Defense Technology, Changsha, March 2004.
[6] LIU Guo-xi, GENG Jing-chao, LU Zhi-yong, Design
method of wide band pyramid ridged horn antenna[J].
Radio Communition Technology, Vol.31, No.4,2005.

Author Biographies
(b)
Fig.7 radiation patterns of 70cm ridge improved antenna Xi Xiao-Li was born in Shaanxi, China, on Dec.20, 1967. She
(a) E-plane (b) H-plane received Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Xi’an
Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China, in 2004. Her recent research
4 Conclusion interests include wave propagation, antenna design, biological
applications of EM wave and numerical method in
Three kinds of TEM DRGH antennas, 150cm electromagnetic.
exponential ridged antenna, 70 cm exponential ridged
antenna and 70cm ridged improved antenna, are
studied in this paper. From the simulation results, we
can find that merely reducing the horn axial length,
from 150cm to 70cm, will make the VSWR, Gain
deteriorated. Modified ridge curve shape and the ridge
width, 70cm ridged improved antenna has more
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