IE3D Tutorial 1: Edge-fed Patch Antenna

Goal: design a microstripline edge-fed patch antenna operating at 2.425

GHz using a substrate with thickness 1.6 mm, . The return loss must be
less than 20 dB at 2.425 GHz.
1. Start a New Project
File->New 2. Specifying layer structures in the Basic Parameters
Dialog
Input a grounded substrate with thickness 1.6 mm, .
3. Save it as tutorial1.geo
File->Save as 4. Determine the approximate size of the patch.
,
5. Enter a half wavelength ( ) square patch.
Entity->Rectangle 6. Determine the line width of a 50 microstrip
line.
The width is about 4.5 mm. Let the length be near quarter
wavelength ( )
Entity->Rectangle 7. Define a wave port at the end of the
microstrip line. Set
reference plane to the edge of the patch. Change the default setting.
Good Reference = 20. Min. Extension = 20. Min. Length Ratio = 6.
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 Port->Define Port. 8. Perform a simulation from 1 GHz to 3 GHz.
Set Mesh
Frequency at 3 GHz and 10 per wavelength. Enable edge mesh. Select 1
layer. Select contemporary meshing scheme. Process->Simulate 9. From
the simulated result, the length is too long. Select two
vertices of the patch to tune the length. Edit->Select Vertices 10. Set up
a variable called Length with lower bound 0 and upper
bound 10. Optim->Variables for Selected Objects 11. Define the tuning
range of the variable from 2.5 to 10 at step
2.5. Process->Simulate 12. Plot the simulated results in Modua. Make
sure it is possible to
reach resonance at 2.425 GHz and this length range. File->Parameter
File Queue 13. Perform a optimization on length to reach resonance at
2.425
GHz. Select Powell. Set Error Function Limit to 1e-7. Set Maximum
Iteration to 100. Set frequency to only 2.425 GHz. Set optimization goal
to the phase of S
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to be between . Process-
>Optimize 14. After successful optimization, file tutorial1m.geo will be
opened. Next step is to optimize the S-parameter. First, perform a
frequency sweep and check the Smith Chart to determine the whether
the impedance is too large or small. The result is that the impedance is
too large at 2.425 GHz. 15. Enlarge the width of the patch to reduce its
impedance. Select
the top 2 vertices and make it a variable. Do the same to the lower 2
vertices. Remember to change the Turning Angle in Optimization
Variable Definition Dialog 16. Delete the Length variable. Link the
lower vertices to the upper
vertices. Optim->Change Variables and Calls 17. Perform a sweep over
the variable Width from 10 to 50 at step
2
10 to see if the goal can be reached. From the result, it can be reached at
40. Process->Simulate 18. Delete the variables. Enlarge the patch
accordingly. Build the variables again. Set the width variable range to
and length variable range to . Perform an optimization for the goal
. 19. Check current and pattern to see if it is the right resonance.
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