19/10/2015, Jagadish C.

Mudiganti Design of Antennas - XI

Design of Antennas – XI

ECE306 Antennas & Wave Propagation

Lecture - 34
 Microstrip Antenna
 To analyze the microstrip antenna we use the transmission line
19/10/2015, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Design of Antennas – XI

model, which represents the radiating patch with two slots

separated by a low impedance (Zc) transmission line of length L

 It has to be noted that the length L of the patch is the edge that is
parallel to the feed line
1
 Microstrip Antenna
 The dimensions of the radiating patch are finite hence the fields
19/10/2015, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Design of Antennas – XI

undergo fringing at the edges of the patch

Fringing fields

0
r

 The fringing of the fields is responsible for the microstrip to look

electrically longer than it is physically. The effective dielectric
constant eff is responsible for fringing

Equivalent model of
microstrip with
effective dielectric eff
2
 Microstrip Antenna
 For microstrip antennas with air above the dielectric material the
effective dielectric constant is in the range 1 < eff < r
19/10/2015, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Design of Antennas – XI

 As the frequencies increase, the fields lines confine to the substrate

and the effective dielectric constant approaches that of substrate
 Whereas at low frequencies, the effective dielectric constant is
1 / 2
 r 1  r 1  h
 eff   1  12 
2 2  W
 We have already seen how the length of the microstrip looks longer
due to fringing fields, which can be modelled as extended patch L

3
 Microstrip Antenna
 The extended length is a function of effective dielectric constant
19/10/2015, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Design of Antennas – XI

and width to height ratio (W/h)

L
 eff  0.3  0.264 
W 
 0.412 h 
h
 eff  0.258  0.8 
W 
h 

 The effective length can be calculated from the extended length as

Leff  L  2L

 The resonant frequency for the dominant TM010 mode excluding

fringing effects is
c
fr 
4 2L  r
 Microstrip Antenna
 Now the resonant frequency taking into account fringing is
19/10/2015, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Design of Antennas – XI

c c
f rc  q
2 Leff  eff 2L  r
f rc
Where q  is called the fringe factor or length reduction factor
fr

5
 Microstrip Antenna
Design Steps
19/10/2015, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Design of Antennas – XI

The design starts by specifying substrate relative permittivity r,

resonant frequency fr and substrate thickness h

c 2
1. Determine is the width of the patch, given as W 
2 fr  r 1
2. The next task is to find the effective dielectric constant eff
3. The next step is to find the extended length L
4. The final step is to find the length of the patch
c
L  2L
2 f r  eff
c
Where Leff  is the effective length
6 2 f r  eff
 Let Us Solve
Problems
19/10/2015, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Design of Antennas – XI

35. Design a rectangular microstrip antenna so that it will resonate

at 2 GHz. The idealistic lossless substrate has a dielectric
constant of 10.2 and a height of 0.127 cm. Determine the
physical dimensions of the patch