Analysis of a Wideband Fabry-Pérot Cavity Antenna

at 60 GHz using Grid Impedance Approximation

Ahmad T. Almutawa, Hamidreza Kazemi, and Filippo David R. Jackson
Capolino Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-4005
University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA djackson@uh.edu
{aalmutaw, hkazemiv, f.capolino}@uci.edu

Abstract—Wide band planar Fabry-Pérot cavity (FPC) (a) (b)

antennas formed by an electrically thick partially reflective
surface (PRS) composed of multiple metal/dielectric layers are z air
investigated. These multiple metal and dielectric layers have been ε0 , μ 0 Y0 , kz0
optimized to satisfy the FPC resonance condition at multiple
frequencies, and hence, a larger antenna gain-bandwidth is εrN , μrN lN
achieved. The periodic metallic screen impedance is z YN , kzN lN
approximated based on its geometrical parameters and Yup,N
YgN
implemented as a shunt admittance in the transverse equivalent
network (TEN). Two wideband FPC antennas with a single and Yup,n+1
double dielectric layers with metallic grids patterned at the εr1 , μr1 l1
bottom are designed and verified with a full-wave simulation Y1 , kz1 l1
result, with the double layer PRS leading to a wider band than Yup,1 Yg1
the single layer one. In addition, the dispersion relation of the y Ydown
leaky-waves shows a quasi-oscillatory behavior versus frequency Yc , kzc h
εr , μ r h
around the maximum radiated power bands. 0
x Ground
Keywords—Fabry-Pérot cavity (FPC) antenna, partially
reflecting surface (PRS), wideband antenna. Fig. 1. (a) FPC antenna formed by a thick PRS (multiple metal-dielectric layers).
(b) Transverse equivalent network for the structure in (a).

I. INTRODUCTION
Two-dimensional (2-D) leaky-wave antennas, also called
Fabry-Pérot cavity (FPC) antennas, have been studied for
decades due to their highly directive radiation as well as for
their attractive features of being low-profile and having low-
cost fabrication [1]–[3]. Conventional FPC antennas suffer
from a narrow bandwidth, though recent investigation shows a
wider bandwidth is achievable with a PRS constructed from a
multiple metal/dielectric layers. Optimum PRSs exhibit a
positive slope of the reflection phase vs. frequency in the band
of interest, as shown in [4]–[7].
FPC antennas with large transverse dimensions are
analyzed with the TEN with good accuracy. Usually, the PRS
impedance and reflection coefficient are calculated from a unit-
cell with periodic boundary conditions using full-wave
simulations. However, in addition to that, here we also use an
approximate grid impedance equation derived in [8] to
calculate the reflection coefficient of the PRS. To validate this
approach, we design two FPC antennas formed by thick PRSs;
in the first case the PRS is comprised of a single substrate with
a periodic metallic grid printed on the bottom face, while the
second PRS consists of two such structures cascaded together,
as shown in Fig. 1(a). The transverse equivalent network of
such a structure is shown in Fig. 1(b).
II. THICK PRS AND GRID IMPEDANCE APPROXIMATION
Thin periodic metallic grids in the FPC antenna are
modeled by shunt admittances in the TEN. In the case of thick
PRSs, where the radiated-power bandwidth is wide, the shunt
admittances are function of frequency and they are
approximated using the grid impedance derived for the
periodic conducting grid shown in Fig. 1(a) [8] as
(
Z gn = 1 Ygn = j Z eff keff d n ( 2 ) ) log ( csc ( wn ( 2dn ) ) ) , (1)
where Zeff = Z0 / (εn,eff)1/2, keff = k0 (εn,eff)1/2, n = 1, 2, …, N. εn,eff
is the effective permittivity of the nth grid host medium, dn is
the square unit-cell side length, and wn is the metallic strip
width of the nth grid. Under the assumption of highly directive
FPC antennas, the characteristic wave impedances are
approximated with θ = 0. Therefore, the PRS reflection
coefficient is defined as ГPRS = (Yc – Yup,1) / (Yc + Yup,1) where
Yup,n, shown in Fig. 1(b), is given by the recursive equation
Yup,n +1 + jYn tan ( k zn ln )
Yup ,n = Ygn + Yn , n = N, N-1,…,1, (2)
Yn + jYup ,n +1 tan ( k zn ln )
where Ygn is the approximated grid admittance of the nth
metallic grid calculated using (1), kzn ln is the electrical length

978-1-7281-0692-2/19/$31.00 ©2019 IEEE 117 AP-S 2019

of the nth layer and the admittance Yup,N+1 = Y0. Fig. 2 shows
the comparison of the PRSs reflection coefficients based on
Yup,1 calculated using equation (2) versus full-wave simulation
results for the two designed FPC antennas. It is seen that the
results show a good agreement. Each layer of metal/dielectric
in the PRS is responsible for one phase inversion in the
reflection phase curve versus frequency. Every phase
inversion represents an internal resonance inside the PRS. By
properly designing the layers we can shift these resonances
close to each other and increase the gain-bandwidth of the
FPC antennas as will be shown in Section III.
(a)
ϕPRS (degree)
|ΓPRS| (dB)
1.4 mm
Frequency (GHz) Metal
Dielectric
Full-wave Formula (2)
(b)
ϕPRS (degree)
|ΓPRS| (dB)
2 mm
Frequency (GHz)
Fig. 2. Comparison between reflection coefficients obtained by full-wave
simulation and by the approximate grid impedance in (1) for PRSs with
unit-cells depicted on the right for (a) single layer (b) and double layer
cases.
III. BROADSIDE R ADIATION AND LEAKY- WAVE ANALYSIS OF
WIDEBAND FPC ANTENNAS
The complex wavenumber of the dominant leaky-waves
propagating radially inside the antenna cavity are calculated
from the transverse resonance equation Yup,1 + Ydown = 0. Here
Ydown = -jYc cot(kzch), where kzc = (k02μrεr – kt2)1/2, kt = β – jα is
the complex transverse wavenumber inside the air cavity of
height h shown in Fig. 1. An approximate far-field power
radiating from such an antenna is calculated based on the PRS
reflection coefficient [1] as
( ) / 1− 
e ( PRS zc ) , (3)
j
P ( , )  1 −  PRS
2
PRS
where kzc = (k02μrεr – sin2θ)1/2 and ГPRS represent the PRS
reflection coefficients shown in Fig. 1. A comparison between
the normalized radiated powers calculated from (3) are shown
in Fig. 3, calculated using the PRS reflection coefficients from
full-wave simulation and from (2). The normalized phase and
attenuation constants for the leaky modes are also shown in
Fig. 3. In analogy with an FPC antenna analysis with a thin
PRS where the antenna radiates its maximum power at
broadside when β ≈ α [2], here an oscillatory behavior has
been observed, covering a much wider 3dB power bandwidth
than for an FPC with a thin PRS, for the same directivity.
(a)
3dB
P/Pmax (dB)
α / k0 β / k0
(b)
3dB
P/Pmax (dB)
εr = 6.2
1.3 mm
α / k0 β / k0
Frequency (GHz)
0.1 mm
Fig. 3. Comparison of normalized broadside radiated power calculated
from (3) using the reflection coefficient calculated from full-wave
simulation (blue solid-line) vs. approximate grid impedance (red dashed-
εr2 = 3 line). In addition, the normalized phase and attenuation constants vs.
2 mm
frequency are shown. (a) Single layer. (b) Double layer.
0.1 mm
IV. CONCLUSION
1.2 mm
εr1 = 2.2 A simple analysis of wideband FPC antenna with single or
double metal/dielectric layers is provided using a grid
0.13 mm impedance approximation, An increase of the gain-bandwidth
of the FPC antenna with a double layer PRS is observed
compared to that of a single layer PRS. The oscillatory
behavior of the leaky wave phase and attenuation constants vs.
frequency provides insight into the wide band behavior of such
antennas with thick PRSs.
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