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Comparison between Two Methods for Characterization of a Patch Antenna

Array: Experimental and by Simulation

Chapter · January 2013

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-38279-6_28

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 Comparison between Two Methods for Characterization
of a Patch Antenna Array: Experimental
and by Simulation

Abdelhakim Elouadih1, Ahmed Oulad-Said1, and Moha Mrabet Hassani2

1
Royal Air Academy (ERA), Telecoms and Hyperfrequencies Laboratory,
Marrakesh, Morocco
2
University of Sciences Semlalia (FSSM), Instrumentation and Electronics Laboratory,
Marrakesh, Morocco
elouadih@gmail.com,
a_ouladsaid@hotmail.com,
hassani@ucam.ac.ma

Abstract. This paper describes the characterization of a symmetrical probe feed

patch antenna array. The characterization consists on finding the most important
parameters of the antenna. It is done by two methods. The first one is a
simulation by HFSS simulator release 10. The second method is based on
experiences using network analyzer and a hyper frequency transmission bench.
A comparison of both methods results shows some light differences that can be
discussed.

Keywords: patch antenna array, HFSS, characterization.

1 Introduction

Wireless communications have progressed very rapidly in recent years, and many
mobile units are becoming smaller and smaller. To meet the miniaturization
requirement, the antennas employed in mobile terminals must have their dimensions
reduced accordingly. Planar antennas, such as patch ( microstrip) and printed antennas
have the attractive features of low profile, small size, and conformability to mounting
hosts and are very promising candidates for satisfying this design consideration. For
this reason, compact, broadband and wideband design technique for planar antennas
have been attracted much attention from antenna researchers. Planar antennas are also
very attractive for applications in communication devices for wireless local area
network, wide mobile telecommunications, aeronautics and embedded systems [1].
This paper processes on an antenna array used in Air Academy telecommunications
Laboratory. The problem is that antenna was furnished without any document or
workshop sheet. It was then mandatory to characterize it in order to use it in Laboratory
student’s practical work and projects. It is also an opportunity to test some HFSS

1
Corresponding author.

M.Á. Fernández-Izquierdo, M.J. Muñoz-Torres, R. León (Eds.): MS 2013, LNBIP 145, pp. 257–266, 2013.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
258 A. Elouadih, A. Oulad-Said, and M. Mrabet Hassani

performance and efficiency. By this characterization, the author needs to determine its
most important parameters such as resonant frequency, bandwidth, VSWR, S11
parameter, gain and radiation pattern. One choice was to use the HFSS simulator that
gave some characteristics. Another method was to use a network analyzer to determine
the S11 parameter and to use an Hyper frequency transmitter receiver bench using other
kinds of antennas to determine the diagram pattern. The first step is to determine
theoretically the resonant frequency by using a transmission line model. Then, the
simulation and experiences results are exposed before making a comparison of the
obtained results.

2 Presentation of the Studied Antenna Array

The studied antenna consists of a double-sided printed circuit board (PCB). One side
forms the antenna pattern and the other a ground plane. The pattern is consisting of 16
rectangular patches disposed by 4*4 on the x and y axes. Each patch has a width W
and length L =W equal to 8.9 mm. The patches are printed on a PCB that has a
substrate with a relative permittivity equal to 2.62. The other side of the PCB in made
by a perfect conductor presenting a finite ground plane with dimensions of 95 mm
and 120 mm. the high of antenna is 1.6 mm and the distance between patches is 10.4
mm. All of patches are symmetrically supplied by line and a probe feed in the centre
as shown in figure 1.

Fig. 1. The front side of the studied patch

3 Estimating of the Theoretical Resonant Frequency

It is very important for simulation by HFSS to estimate the resonant frequency that
help the simulator to make a refinement mesh in a band around the resonant
frequency and then give more precise values. For one element of the array as shown
in figure 2 [1]:
 Comparison between Two Methods for Characterization of a Patch Antenna Array 259

Probe feed Patch Substrate

Ground plan
coaxial probe

Fig. 2. One of the 16 elements of patch

The element has length L equal to width W=8.96 mm, a height of 1.6 mm and a
permittivity of 2.62. We must firstly determine the effective permittivity by the
equation (1):

ε r + 1 ε r −1 1
εeff = + ⋅ (1)
2 2 12H
1+
W

The εeff obtained then is 2.266.

After, the length extension ∆L is computed by equation 2:

w 
( ε eff + 0.3)  + 0.264 
ΔL = 0.412h h  (2)
w 
(ε eff − 0.258 )  + 0.8 
h 
∆L = 0.77 mm, After an effective length L eff is equal to L+ 2∆L,
L eff = 10.44 mm. The equation 3 gives the relation between Leff and the resonant
frequency:

c
Leff = (3)
2f r ε eff

With a light velocity equal to c= 3108 m/s, the obtained f r is 9.55GHz.

4 Simulation by HFSS of the Antenna Array

4.1 The Choice of the Simulator HFSS

HFSS (High Frequency Simulator Structure) is a high performance full wave

electromagnetic (EM) field simulator for arbitrary 3D volumetric passive device
modeling that takes advantage of the familiar Microsoft Windows graphical user
interface. It integrates simulation, visualization, solid modeling, and automation in an
easy to learn environment where solutions to 3D EM problems are quickly and
260 A. Elouadih, A. Oulad-Said, and M. Mrabet Hassani

accurate obtained. Ansoft HFSS employs the Finite Element Method (FEM), adaptive
meshing, and brilliant graphics to give unparalleled performance and insight to all of
3D EM problems. Ansoft HFSS can be used to calculate parameters such as S-
Parameters, Resonant Frequency and Fields. Typical uses include Package Modeling,
PCB Board Modeling , Mobile Communications (Patches, Dipoles, Horns, Conformal
Cell Phone Antennas), Specific Absorption Rate ( SAR), Infinite Arrays, Radar
Section (RCS), Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) and filters sush Cavity Filters,
Microstrip, Dielectric. HFSS is an interactive simulation system whose basic mesh
element is a tetrahedron. T. In industry, Ansoft HFSS is an the tool of choice for
High productivity research, development, and virtual prototyping [2].
The HFSS is then used in the simulation; the results are then exposed in the
following.

4.2 Antenna Design

The studied antenna was firstly designed in the HFSS as shown in figure 3.

Fig. 3. The design of the studied array antenna in HFSS

The design in HFSS consists firstly on tracing the different components of the
antenna (16 patches, substrate, ground plan), and secondly on designing the
symmetrical excitation and boundaries. It finishes by configuring the setup solution
with different sweeps.

4.3 The Reflection Coefficient

The reflection coefficient is the ratio of (Za-Zo) to (Za+Zo) where Za is the antenna
impedance and Zo is the feeding line characteristic impedance. It measures the
 Comparison between Two Methods for Characterization of a Patch Antenna Array 261

reflected part of an incident wave. S11 is 20 log (reflection coefficient) .The

simulation allows the estimation of S11 parameter function of the frequency.
The obtained result is shown in figure 4.

Fig. 4. The parameter S11 depending on frequency

A peak is seen around the frequency of 9.065 GHz. We can run the simulation by
refining the sweep interval for more precision and as shown in the table of figure 5

Fig. 5. The results table of frequencies with the S11 values

The table gives a resonant frequency of 9.0652 GHz with a S11 = -6.63 dB.

4.4 The VSWR and Bandwidth

The VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) is the ratio of maximum voltage to
minimum voltage in a line (VSWR = Vmax/Vmin). The figure 6 indicates a VSWR
minimal of 2.75 and a 1:1.2 VSWR bandwidth of 30 MHz.
262 A. Elouadih, A. Oulad-Said, and M. Mrabet Hassani

Fig. 6. The VSWR (Frequency) Fig. 7. The Smith Chart

4.5 The Smith Chart

The impedances depending on frequencies are shown on figure 7 via the Smith Chart.

4.6 The Impedance in the Feeding Point of the Array Antenna

Fig. 8. Impedance of the feeding point Fig. 9. Antenna parameters

 Comparison between Two Methods for Characterization of a Patch Antenna Array 263

Around the resonant frequency, the impedance in the feeding point is equal to 55
Ω. It Is not so far to 50Ω. The antenna is appropriately adapted.

4.7 The Diagram Pattern and the Antenna Parameters

Fig. 10. 2D and 3D Diagram pattern

The simulations results shown in figure 10 give the antenna parameters and the fields
maximas. The obtained peak gain G is 7.15 dBi and the radiation efficiency is 1.03.
Also, it‘s confirmed that the E-plan of the antenna is the (yz) plan. Consequently, the
figure 10 shows the radiation pattern of the antenna.
After exposing all simulation results, the second part presents the experimental
measures done in Laboratory.

5 Experimental Methods

5.1 Using a Network Analyzer

The 8719C HP network analyzer was used to measure the S11 parameter and the
resonant frequency. The network analyzer works in a band from 50 MHz to 13.5 GHz
as shown in figure 11. [3].
264 A. Elouadih, A. Oulad-Said, and M. Mrabet Hassani

Fig. 11. The measure using the network analyzer

Before doing the measures, the analyzer was calibrated using a short circuit, open
circuit and broadband load as shown in figures 12

Fig. 12. The used open circuit , short circuit and load

The network analyzer gives the results as shown in figure 13.

 Comparison between Two Methods for Characterization of a Patch Antenna Array 265

Fig. 13. S11 = f (frequency) Fig. 14. The Smith Chart

The peak corresponds to the resonant frequency fr = 9.1162 GHz with a S11 = -11 dB.
Also, the measured VSWR minimal was 2 and the 1:1.2 VSWR bandwidth is equal
to 60 MHz. The Smith chart for a sweep from 8 GHz to 10 GHz is obtained in figure 14.

Fig. 15. The Experience set Fig. 16. The Resonant frequency as
Indicated by the frequency meter

5.2 Using an Hyper Frequency Transmission Bench

As shown in figure 15, The hyper frequency transmitter [4] is compound of a Gunn
oscillator (PM 7015X) that delivers 5 mW in the range 8.5-9.6 GHz supplied by a
power supply (PM 7815), a first variable attenuator (PM7110x), a PIN modulator
(PM 7026X/01), a frequency meter (PM7072X), a second variable attenuator (HP X
375A), a waveguide (PM 7366X), a rotary joint (PM7888X) and the studied array
antenna in the extremity of the transmitter.
The receiver is compound of a horn antenna (PM7320X/01), a detector
(PM7195X) linked to SWR meter (PM7833).
 266 A. Elouadih, A. Oulad-Said, and M. Mrabet Hassani

The principle is to detect by receiver of a maximum power for a frequency range

and in different directions. The maxima is obtained for a frequency indicated by a
frequency meter equal to 9105 MHz as shown in figure 16.

6 Comparison of Both Methods

The table 1 summarizes the most important results obtained by simulation method and
by measures.

Table 1. Results synthesis

Parameter Experimental method Simulation method

Resonant Frequency 9116 MHz by analyzer 9065 MHz
9105 MHz by experience
S11 Parameter -11 dB -7 dB
1:1.2 Bandwidth 60 MHz 30 MHz

The comparison shows that results are very close especially for resonant frequency.
The gap can be explained by following causes:
 The matching between the patch and the feeding point is ideal in
HFSS but in reality the matching is not perfect, it adds impedance
and a frequency gap.
 The theoretical frequency computed by using the transmission line
model (9.55 GHz) was used in HFSS in the setup solution to make
a mesh refinement around it because HFSS uses finite element
method. The difference between delivered frequency and
theoretical frequency adds some imprecision.
 Also, a non perfect calibration of the network analyzer generates
some errors. In fact, connectors by the repetitive use add a small
S11 difference.
 The frequency meter in the transmission string behaves as a
resonant cavity (different to transmission line model).It adds some
errors.
In conclusion, I can consider the results given by HFSS so
important and confident. The HFSS simulator can be considered an
interesting way to simulate designed modern antennas.

References
1. Milligan, T.A.: Modern antenna design, ch. 6. J. Wiley and sons, New Jersey (2005)
2. Ansoft corporation: HFSS 10.0 user’s guide: Ansoft. rev 1.06, Pittsburg (2005)
3. HP: Service Manual, HP company, Santa Rosa, USA (September 1993)
4. SIVERSIMA: Technical notices, AB Grafiska Gruppen, Stockholm (1989)

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