1602

Improvement of Characteristics of Microstrip

Antenna Using of Metamaterial Superstrate
R. Khajeh Mohammad Lou, T. Aribi, and Ch. Ghobadi

AbstractHigh directive planar antenna made from a onelayer and two-layer metamaterial superstrate has been
investigated. Metamaterial are periodic structures and have been
intensively investigated due to the particular features such as
ultra refraction phenomenon and negative permittivity or
permeability. A patch antenna is used as the radiation source.
The Ansoft HFSS is used for the simulation. The results show
that the gain, directivity and bandwidth of the antenna with
metamaterial superstrate are increased at Ku-band (13-17GHz).
Compared with the patch feed with the same aperture size but
without the metamaterial superstrate, the performance of the
antenna is improved obviously.

Index Terms Metamatrial superstrate, S coupled structure,

Double split ring structure, Ultra refraction

I. INTRODUCTION
Compact directive antennas with a single feeding point are
highly attractive in practice [1, 2]. Conventional patch antenna
has simple feeding mechanisms, whereas its radiated pattern is
affected by the surface wave and has low gain and bandwidth
[3]. On the other hand, patch array antenna can offer the
directive feature, but the complex feeding mechanism and the
radiation efficiency limit its application range. Therefore, high
directive and wideband antenna with more compact structure
and simple feeding is of great interest in recent years.
New artificial materials, such as metamaterial, are
introduced to design antennas for enhancing the performance
and reducing the profile [1]. Metamaterials are artificial
materials synthesized by embedding specific inclusions, for
example, periodic structures, in the host media. Some of these
materials exhibit either negative permittivity or negative
permeability. If both permittivity and permeability of such
materials are negative at the same frequency, then the
composite possesses an effective negative index of refraction
for isotropic medium and is referred to as a left handed
metamaterial. The name is used because the electric field, the
magnetic field and the wave vector form a left-handed system
Manuscript received October 5, 2010.
R. Khajeh Mohammad Lou. Author is with the Islamic Azad University
South-Tehran
Branch,
Tehran,
CO
+98
9143483270,
reza.khajeh63@gamail.com, IRAN.
T. Aribi. Author is with with the Islamic Azad University South-Tehran
Branch, Tehran, CO +98 9143483270, tohidaribi@gamail.com, IRAN.
Ch. Ghobadi. Author is with the Electrical Engineering Department,
University of Urmia, CO +98 9143410349, ch.ghobadi@urmia.ac.ir, IRAN.

[4]. These metamaterials are typically realized artificially as

composite structures that are composed of periodic metallic
patterns printed on dielectric substrates. Metamaterials have
been extensively studied in the recent years, in the framework
of microwave applications. Several works have been aimed
towards the improvement of the performances of antennas in
the microwave range of frequencies [5, 6]. It is noted in that
some principal properties of waves propagating in materials
with negative permittivity and negative permeability are
considered and high directivity can be obtained from
conventional antenna using metamaterials [7]. In 2000, B.
Temelkuaran et al. placed a monopole radiation source inside
a resonant cavity made of dielectric photonic crystals and
obtained high directivity [8]. Furthermore, M.Thvenot and A.
R. Weily et al. had designed some antennas by placing a
photonic crystals superstrate above a conventional microstrip
patch antenna, and also obtained a high directive radiation,
respectively [9].
In this paper, two type of metamaterial superstrate antenna
with high directivity is introduced for the Ku-band. The
metamaterials, which consists of coupled S shaped and
Double split rings structures, is used to simulate a low
refractive index homogeneous medium (n 0) and placed in
front of the feeding source. The simulation results show that
the gain and bandwidth of the antenna with metamaterial
superstrate is improved and the antenna directivity is
enhanced obviously.
II.

DESIGN OF ANTENNA WITH METAMATERIAL SUPERSTRATE

A. S coupled metamaterial superstrate

The first metamaterial used in our simulation is composed
coupled S shaped structure that they place on substrate with
permittivity 2.2 [10]. The unit cell for the coupled S shaped
structure medium is shown in Fig. 1. Theoretical and
experimental studies have shown that such structures can be
taken as a homogenous medium with a low plasma frequency
[4]. To obtain refraction index of metamaterial superstrate, a
unit cell is identified from the full size structure and placed in
a waveguide to collect the S-parameters. The top and bottom
surface has PEC boundary conditions, whereas the left and
right have perfect magnetic conductor (PMC) boundary
conditions and front and back as open boundary condition. A
waveguide port is placed at the open boundaries. With the Sparameter data from the waveguide, we can retrieve the
effective medium parameter at all frequencies [11]. The

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refraction index is shown in Fig .2a. Using the same method

we obtain refraction index for 57 array of the coupled S
shaped structure. From the Fig.2b, it is observed the refraction
index is near the zero in the frequency range 13.5_17.5GHz.
Then one can expect the ultra refraction phenomenon in this
range. The radiated energy will be concentrated in a direction
close to the normal of the metamaterial superstrate.

used to obtain refraction index of metamaterial superstrate.

The unit cell of structure is shown in Fig. 3 index has shown.
For confirmation of result for array of these structures,
refraction index of 67 array of them, that it shows in Fig. 3,
is extracted with same method. The refraction index of unit
cell and 67 array of Double split ring metamaterial
superstrate has shown in Fig. 4.

Fig 1. Configuration of Metamatrial superstrate with S coupled structure.

Fig 3. Configuration of metamaterial superstrate with Double split ring.

(a)

(a)

(b)
Fig 2. Refraction index of S coupled metamaterial superstrate with (a) one
layer (b) two layer.
(b)

B. Double split rings metamatrial superstrate

The second metamatrial superstrate is made of Double split
rings structure [12]. Same method, as mentioned before, is

Fig 4. Refraction index of Double split rings metamaterial superstrate with (a)
one layer (b) two layer.

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III.

3
DESIGN OF MICROSTRIP ANTENNA WITH METAMATERIAL
SUPERSTRATE

Microstrip antenna with square patch (5.6mm5.6mm) on

the Roger RT/duroid substrate with permittivity 2.2 and with
40 mm46 mm dimensions and height 1.575mm is used in the
simulation process. The Square patch feed by 50 coaxial
probe is positioned 1.25mm off-center. The operation
frequency of antenna is 15.23 GHz. Metamatrial superstrate
places above the patch of antenna for concentrating of
radiation energy normal to itself. Adjustment of first
superstrate layer is the most important stage in antenna design
and it is about one third of operation wavelength (/3) above
ground plane which cause to gain increase. The second layer,
improve beam shaping and bandwidth. The distance of second
layer from first layer is between /3 to /2. Fig. 5a shows
configuration of microstrip antenna with S coupled
metamatrial superstrate. The first layer is about 9.225mm
above the ground plane and the optimized distance of second
layer is 11.60mm. Also Configuration of Antenna with
Double split ring metamaterial superstrate has been shown in
Fig. 5b. The first layer is about 9.225mm above the ground
plane and the optimized distance of second layer is 10 mm.
The Ansoft HFSS is used for simulation. Fig. 6 shows
return loss of antenna with metamaterial superstrate. The
results shows that the bandwidth of antenna with two layer
metamatrial superstrate has improved. Fig. 7 shows the gain
of antenna with metamatrial superstrate in comparison with
simple microstip antenna. It is observed Gain of antenna
increases significantly with metamatrial superstrate. The first
layer has important role in this increase. Fig. 8 shows gain
pattern of antenna with metamaterial superstrate at frequencies
that antenna has maximum Gain. Except antenna with one
layer Double split ring that its maximum Gain occurs at
13.7GHz, maximum gain of the rest occur at 15.23GHz.

Fig. 6. Comparison of return loss of antenna with and without metamaterial

superstrate.

Fig. 7. Comparison of Gain of antenna with and without metamaterial

superstrate.

(b)

(a)

(c)

(d)

(a)

(e)

(b)
Fig. 5. Configuration of antenna with metamaterial superstrate (a) S coupled
structure (b) Double split ring structure.

Fig8. Gain pattern (a) simple microstrip antenna (b) One layer S coupled (c)
two layer S coupled (d) One layer Double split ring (e) Two layer Double split
ring.

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4
IV. SIMULATION RESULTS

Fig. 6 shows the bandwidth of antenna (S11<-10 dB) with

two layers metamaterial superstrate has increased. The
bandwidth of antenna with two layers S coupled increases
about 1 GHz, whereas the bandwidth of antenna with two
layers Double split ring has increased about 2.2 GHz.
Although the bandwidth of antenna with one layer Double
split ring increase as same as two layers, but there is a narrow
frequency notch band around 14.1 GHz. Also Gain of antenna
has increased by using metamaterial superstrate. It is observed
from Fig. 7, maximum Gain is obtained by two layers S
coupled metamaterial superstrate about 15 dB. Although from
Fig. 7 is observed that one layer Double split ring intensively
reduces Gain of antenna at frequencies upper than 14.3 GHz,
two layers double split ring improve Gain of antenna.
Finally, Fig. 8 displays Gain pattern of the microstrip
antenna with metamaterial superstrate. It is obvious the
metamaterial superstrate cause to increase the directivity of
the antenna, particularly when two layers metamaterial
superstrate are used.

[10] H. Chen, L. Ran, J. Huangfu, X. Zhang, K. Chen, T. M. Grzegorczyk

and J. A. Kong, Left-handed metamaterials composed of only S-shaped
resonators, unpublished
[11] X. Chen, T.M. Grzegorczyk, B.I. Wu, J. Pacheco and J. A. Kong, An
improved method to retrieve the constitutive effective parameters of
metamaterials, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. E.
[12] L. Ling, B. Li and S. H. Liu, A study of using double negative structure
to enhance the waveguide antenna array, Progress in Electromagnetic
Research, pier 65, 275-286, 2006

V. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, metamaterial structures help to improve
some features of microstrip antenna. The near zero refraction
index of these structures concentrate radiation energy of patch
of antenna, consequently, they increase Gain of antenna and
beam shaping of antenna radiation pattern. Also, they help to
improve bandwidth of antenna when two layers metamaterial
superstrate are used.
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