IMPROVED TRANSMISSION LINE MODEL FOR INPUT

IMPEDANCE OF RECTANGULAR MICROSTRIP ANTENNAS

WITH MULTI-DIELECTRIC LAYERS

Shunshi Zhong* and Gang Liu

Shanghai University of Science and Technology
Shanghai 201800, China
V.Stassevich
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
141700 Moscow Region, Dolgoprudny, Russia

1. INTRODUCTION

A number of investigations have carried out to determine the electrical characteristics of

microstrip antennas with multi-dielectric layers using the spectral domain analysis (SDA) and
other full-wave analysis methods[' -21. However, the accurate numerical methods are time-
consuming and are not easily included in a CAD package. It can be that after almost
20 years of research the transmission line models (TLM) m still the fastest models to analyze
rectangular microstrip antennas. In all these years, the original simple variants of the
transmission line type of model have continuously been improved[3]. In this summary, a new
improved TLM is presented, which refines original approximations and extends to the more
general configurations with multi-dielectric layers.

The improvements of the present model are mainly two techniques. First, a lossy TLM is
introduced with an attenuation constant a taking account of all of losses (dielectric,
conductive, radiation and surface wave losses). Secondly, the multi-dielectric layer
rectangular microstrip antenna is treated as a multi-layer microstrip line, which is equivalent
to a normal microstrip line on one substrate by means of the conformal mapping approach
(CMA).

2. THEORETICALMODEL

A rectangular microstrip antenna of width W and length L is shown in Fig.1 (a). We

adopt Fig.1 (b) as its equivalent c i r c ~ i t [ ~ - ~For
] . the prohe-fed case, 11=12=0,the input
admittance is given by

where Y, is the characteristic admittance of the microstrip line formed by the patch;y is the
complex propagation constant of this line; and Ys is the radiation admittance of main
radiating slots. Their expressions are similar to those of Ref.[S]. Also, a series impedance of
the probe has to be added to port 3 r41.

It is noted that y = a+jp and p= ko&, ko is the free space wave number and is
the effective relative permittivity given by

0-7803-2009-3/94/$4.00 0 1994 IEEE. 492

where , is the relative permittivity of the substrate of
is the quasi-static value of E ~ E E~
thickness h, and P(f) is a frequency dependent term. As a main improvement, the attenuation
constant a takes account of not only dielectric and conductive losses as in but

utilizing the expressions of the electric surface current model

radiation from all of the four slots with their coupling.
[6-7c0
radiation and surface wave losses as well. Moreover, the radiation wer is calculated by
as to include the

The previous formulation can be generalized to treat a rectangular patch with multi-
dielectric layers as shown in Fig2 (a). When the quasi-TEM wave propagates in this
structure, its quasi-static relative effective PermittiVityE, is derived by means of the CMA,
following the conformal transformations used by Wheeler[8] in 60's and by S v a ~ i n a [ ~ ]
recently (see Fig2 (b), (c)). By so doing, the following relation is obtained:

where 41, q2 and 43 are the filling factors, which are defined respectively by the ratio of each
area of S, ( E , ~ )and S,(&,,) to the whole area Sc of the cross section in the g-plane
(Fig.Z(c)).

Taking advantage of the equivalence between a multi-layer line and a normal line, an
equivalent relative permittivity E: for the equivalent normal line is found as

=-
2&,-1+ A
&I
(4)
I 1+A

Finally, the resulting E, and E: both are substituted into Eq.(2) instead of&, and E~ of a
normal line, resulting in the Gffof multi-dielectric layer patch.

3. NUMERICAL VERIFICATION

As a first verification, the present improved TML is compared with the measured results
and the SDA results of Fan et al.[ll, as shown in Fig.3. This figure gives input impedances of
rectangular microstrip antennas with a dielectric cover of various thickness. The good
agreement of the present results with the experimental and SDA results is observed.

The second verification is for the rectangular microstrip antennas of two-substrates. The
comparison with the measured and the SDA method results of Fan and Lee L21 are presented
in Fig.4, again showing a good agreement

REFERENCES

[I] Z.Fan et al, " Input impedance of rectangular microstrip antennas with a dielectric
cover," Microwave and Optical Tech. Lett.,Vol.S, pp.123-125, Mar. 1992.
[2] Z.Fan and K.F.Lee, " Spectral domain analysis of rectangular microstrip antennas with
an air gap," ibid., Vo1.5, pp.315-318, June 1992.
[3] G.A.E.Vandenbosch, F.J.Demuynck and A.R.Van de Capelle, " The transmission line
models : past, present, and future," Int. J. of MW and MMW Computer-Aided
Engineering, Vo1.3, pp.3 19-325,Oct. 1993.
[4] E.Lier, " Improved formulas for input impedance of coax-fed microstrip patch antennas,"
IEE Proc., Vo1.129, Pt.H, pp.161-164, Aug. 1982.
[5] H.Pues and A.R.Van de Capelle, " Accurate transmission-line model for the rectangular
microstrip antenna," ibid., Vo1.13 I, Pt.H, pp.334-340, Dec. 1984.

493
[6] P.Perlmutter, S.Shtrikman and J.Treres, " Electric surface current model for the analysis
of microstrip antennas with application to rectangular elements," IEEE Trans., Vol.Ap-
33, pp.301-311, MU. 1985.
[7] S.S.Zhong, Microstrip Antenna Theory and Applications (in Chinese), Xidian University
Publisher, pp.76-85, June 1991.
[ 8 ] H.A.Wheeles, " Transmission line properties of parallel wide strips by a conformal
mapping approximation," IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. M'lT-
12, pp.280-287,Ma. 1964.
[9] JSvacina, "Analysis of multilayer microstrip lines by a conformal mapping method,"
ibid., Vol. MTT-40, pp.769-772, Apr. 1992.

Fig. 1 A rectangular microstrip antenna and its equivalent circuit

Fig 2. A multi-dielectric layer rectangular microstrip antenna and its transformations

494
 , -
-1.5

1.14 1.16 1.18 1.20 1.22 1.24 1.14 1.16 1.18 1.20 1.22 1.24
f (GHz) f (GHz)
(a) h3=0 0 cm (a) h,=O 0 cm

- Present m o d e l
mmmmm SDA method 12 j
1.5 - P r e s e n t model
mmmmm SDA method (1 I

1
-1.5 -
1.14 1.16 1.18 1.20 1.22 1.24 1.30 1.34 1.38 1.42 1.46
f (GHz) f (GHz)
(b) h3=0 159 c m (b) h,=O 05cm

-Present model
mmmmm SDA method 121
-Present -del
u m m m SDA method

RA
[f1
q 3.0

1.5
1

-0.5,-
1.12 1.14 1.16 1.18 1.20 1.22
ti
10
\
1
0.0

-1.5,-
1.40 1.44 1.48 1.52 1.56
f (GHz) f (GHz)
(c) h,=0 795 cm ( c ) h,=0.1 cm
Fig.4 Input impedance (Z=R+jX)
Fig 3 Input impedances
o f rectangular (Z=R+!X)
microstrip f o r rectangular microstrip
o n i e n n a s w i t i o cover a n t e n n a s of two-substrates
( L = 7 62 c m W = l l 43 cm, h, -0 159 cm (L=7.62 cm. W=l 1.43 c m E - 1
~ , , = 264, tan6,=O 0 0 3 , 1=1.2.3f- ~ , ~ =
64,2 tan6,=0.003. h;=d115i cm)

495