2440 IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS, VOL.

16, 2017

Glueless Compound Ground Technique for Dielectric

Resonator Antenna and Arrays
Chandreyee Sarkar, Student Member, IEEE, Debatosh Guha, Fellow, IEEE,
and Chandrakanta Kumar, Senior Member, IEEE

Abstract—A newly conceived compound ground technique has

been explored for dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) and arrays.
The aim is to discard the traditional bonding by chemical glue that
suffers from several limitations, especially in arrays. The proposed
configuration uses a secondary ground plane with strategic perfo-
rations and clipping arrangement to achieve required mechanical
stability along with accurate DRA positioning. It does not affect any
radiation mode(s) or characteristics. The design has been tested for
a single as well as a four-element array in S-band indicating close
corroboration with its traditional counterpart. Scalability study
ensures its operation up to K-band. This technique should find po-
tential applications, especially in large arrays and in any platform Fig. 1. Schematic diagrams for (a) a traditional cylindrical DRA fixed by glue
subjected to mechanical vibrations. on the ground plane, (b) proposed compound ground configuration by adding
unit B on unit A. Perforated unit B is shown on the top.
Index Terms—Compound ground plane (GP), dielectric
resonator antennas (DRA), DRA array.

I. INTRODUCTION
IELECTRIC resonator antenna (DRA) [1]–[3] is a ma-
D tured area although some challenges still remain unre-
solved [4]. The deployment of DRA on a metallic ground plane
(GP) has been a weak aspect, the reason being the bonding
agent. Chemical glue [5] is traditionally used for the same.
Several inherent disadvantages are apparent since it:
1) deshapes the DRA boundary;
2) affects the effective permittivity and hence the impedance
matching;
3) fails to withstand high mechanical vibration and jerk
(common in air-borne and space technology);
4) faces difficulty in maintaining positional accuracy, which
turns to be a severe problem in arrays [6];
5) requires tedious job of gluing each element in case of large
arrays.
This major shortcoming has been addressed in this letter for
the first time. A compound GP has been explored as a com-
bination of two units as depicted in Fig. 1. This enables one
Manuscript received June 19, 2017; revised June 30, 2017; accepted July
1, 2017. Date of publication July 4, 2017; date of current version August 21,
2017. This work was supported by the Centre of Advanced Study in Radio
Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta, India. (Corresponding author:
Debatosh Guha.)
C. Sarkar and D. Guha are with the Institute of Radio Physics and Electron-
ics, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700009, India (e-mail: chandreyee100@
gmail.com; dguha@ieee.org).
C. Kumar is with the Communication Systems Group, ISRO Satellite Centre-
Department of Space, Government of India, Bangalore 560017, India (e-mail:
kumarchk@ieee.org).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this letter are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/LAWP.2017.2723520
in deploying the DRA elements with fullest accuracy and high
mechanical stability along with maintaining all near-field and
far-field characteristics unaffected. An engineer can enjoy these
advantages at the cost of minimal additional machining and
material.
The idea and design advancements have been tested for a
2 × 2 array based on verifications of the same for a single
element. The technique has been successfully explored to work
up to K-band. A set of prototypes operating around 4 GHz has
been experimentally studied ensuring unperturbed modal and
radiations (11 dBi gain for the array and 6 dBi for a single
element). This finally ensures an improved alternative to realize
an accurate as well as a mechanically robust DRA array. The
technique should find potential scope of practical applications
in DRA industries.
II. CONCEPT, DESIGN, AND TESTING
A. New Approach for Single Element
Fig. 1(a) shows a traditional aperture-coupled cylindrical
DRA. Few drops of fixing glue are visible. Here, an alterna-
tive has been conceived in terms of a secondary GP marked as
unit-B in Fig. 1(b). A strategic hole is cut to accommodate the
DRA. The design parameters for 4 GHz operation in HEM11δ
mode are determined using [7]
  r   r 2 
2.735c ε−0.436
f0 = r
0.543 + 0.589 − 0.050 .
2πr 2h 2h
(1)
A 62-mil RT duroid 5870 grounded substrate (0.6λ × 0.8λ)
serves as the primary GP (unit-A). Unit-B is of same area
with thickness tB . A designer should be careful in choosing

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SARKAR et al.: GLUELESS COMPOUND GROUND TECHNIQUE FOR DIELECTRIC RESONATOR ANTENNA AND ARRAYS
Fig. 2. Simulated resonance and gain: (a) S 1 1 versus frequency with δ as
parameter. (b) Variation of the resonance frequency and peak gain as a function
of δ. Other parameters: h = 10, r = 9.5, L = 60, tA = 1.575, tB = 3, h 1 =
3 (all in mm).
Fig. 3. Variation of the resonant frequency and peak gain with tB . δ = 0 mm
and other parameters as in Fig. 2.
g (= 2(r + δ)), where δ is supposed to be negligibly small.
Here, δ = 0 provides perfect fitting of the DRA. The tolerances
of tB and δ have been examined in Figs. 2 and 3. In this design,
adding unit-B on top of unit-A should not cause any change
in impedance and radiation characteristics. Fig. 2(a) examines
S11 as a function of δ (tB = 3 mm) and compares for a tra-
ditional geometry (resonating at 4.01 GHz). When δ = 0, it
marginally shifts to lower f; δ = 0.5 mm causes a right shift,
and δ ࣙ 0.5 mm to the lower side. This nonlinear behavior is
also evident from Fig. 2(b). The gain versus δ also follows the
same nature, the effect being predominant for 0 < δ < 0.5 mm.
Indeed, δ < 0.5 mm influences the DRA fields causing a ca-
pacitive loading and hence lowering of gain. Fig. 2(b) helps in
choosing δ (0.5 mm).
Fig. 3 shows a study with tB with tB ≥ 2 mm and δ = 0.
Marginal increase in gain with marginal decrease in reso-
nance is associated with tB ≥ 3 mm. The gain with tB = 3 mm
(≈ 0.3h − 0.5h) corresponds to the traditional case and hence is
chosen as the optimum value. However, due to improper surface
finish, some marginal air gap might be present between unit-A
and unit-B, but this does not affect the electrical properties in
this design. The surface finish both in dielectric and metal bod-
ies is important. Some earlier investigations used conducting
adhesive tape as a pseudo GP [8].
So far, we did not consider any clipping mechanism, which
is a basic requirement to survive in the environment of jerk,
vibration, or tilting. Therefore, different pin configurations
(see Fig. 4) have been explored as the holding agent with the
aim of minimal modal perturbation. A metal pin of radius r1
has been introduced once along the E-plane (config#1) and then
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2441
Fig. 4. (a) Simulated S 1 1 versus frequency using different clamping pins.
r1 = 0.65 mm, l = 4 mm, and other parameters as in Fig. 2. (b) Cross-sectional
view of the proposed design using pin-configuration #4.
Fig. 5. (a) Simulated radiation characteristics for antenna at 24 GHz; Inset:
S 1 1 characteristics. (b) Effect of air-gap on antenna performance. Parameters:
h = 1.5, r = 1.5, L = 20, r1 = 0.1, tA = 0.508, tB = 0.75 (all in mm).
across the H-plane (config#2), and simulated S11 are compared
in Fig. 4(a). The pin (config#2) is aligned with the magnetic
field of HEM11δ mode and hence causes minimal modal pertur-
bation. This is reflected by its S11 , but config#1 severely affects
the modal electric fields. A variant has also been tried with
pins 45◦ at both E- and H-fields (config#3), revealing identical
results as by config#1. Finally, we recommend config#2 or a
variant, i.e., config#4 bearing shorter pins. Reduced pin length
helps in minimizing the dielectric perturbation without reveal-
ing any change in antenna performance. The schematic view is
shown in Fig. 4(b). Optimum r1 values are scalable based on the
operating frequency. It follows a relation r1 ≈ 0.06r − 0.07r.
B. Scalability at Higher Frequencies
The DRA at millimeter wave or upper microwave bands has
always been a challenge due to its small dimensions [9], [10].
We, therefore, have examined the scalability of our glueless
technique, which requires a slight modification. Instead of pins,
we need to use metal wires protruded through the hole as in
config#2. It needs soldering at two ends. Commercially avail-
able thin copper sheets [11] may help realizing small tB value
(ࣈ0.5h). Some representative results [12] for a single 24-GHz
DRA are depicted in Fig. 5(a). The radiation characteristics per-
fectly corroborate with the traditional case, while the S11 values
(shown in inset) marginally vary by about 0.65% due to the feed
reactance.
The concern of minute air gap between unit-A and unit-B
has been examined in Fig. 5(b). Up to 50–60 μm is found
2442
Fig. 6. (a)–(c): Prototype: Different units and assembled structure, (d) S 1 1
versus frequency plots, (e) Radiation efficiency measured over the band.
Parameters: δ ≈ 0.5 mm, rest as in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7. Measured and simulated radiation patterns for the antenna in Fig. 5
at 4.1 GHz: (a) E-plane (yz plane), (b) H-plane (xz plane).
to be acceptable. Therefore, high-precision instrumentation is
required. Vacuum technique would be helpful.
However, 60 GHz design with secondary GP is really a chal-
lenge in practice. It is apparent that the glueless approach is
viable up to K-band design.
C. Testing With Prototypes
A prototype realized from Eccostock HiK material is shown
in Fig. 6. Agilent’s N9926A Network Analyzer and an auto-
mated anechoic chamber have been used for the measurements.
The S11 versus frequency plots are compared to its traditional
version in Fig. 6(d). Considerable agreement between measured
and simulated data is revealed. Predicted change in resonance
by 1% is followed by the measurements.
The radiation efficiency, examined in Fig. 6(e), is also main-
tained to 91%–93%, comparable to its traditional version.
Fig. 7 compares the radiation characteristics. The traditional
patterns exactly agree with those of the compound ground espe-
cially for the copolarized (co-pol) fields. The peak gain is about
6 dBi. Measured cross-polar (XP) values also mutually agree,
but they deviate from the simulated predictions, primarily be-
cause of some small misalignment of the experimental setup.
Beyond ±50◦ in the H-plane, in the proposed geometry, it shows
relative improvement in the XP level by 10 dB.
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IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS, VOL. 16, 2017
Fig. 8. Prototype of a four-element array: (a) feed layout: r = 9.5,
a = 4.8, b = 2.75, d1 = 25.625, d2 = 10, d3 = 11.9, d4 = 3, d5 = 6.5,
d6 = 5, a l = 14, a w = 2, I1 = 39.425, I2 = 38.7, δ ≈ 0 (all units in mm),
(b) constituent parts of the array-prototype.
Fig. 9. Measured and simulated S 1 1 versus frequency of a four-element
rectangular array. Parameters as in Fig. 8.
III. GLUELESS DRA ARRAY EXPLORED
Fig. 8 shows a four-element DRA array to operate at the
same frequency and mode as discussed above. Identical ceramic
blocks along with similar compound GP have been used. One
may argue about the additional efforts and materials required
but an engineer would find it as a solution to a major issue—
accuracy in aligning the elements in realizing a DRA array.
Unit-B plays that role in addition to bonding. Therefore, unit-A
and unit-B can be co-processed and machined together, ensuring
fullest accuracy in positioning the elements. The feed details
are provided in Fig. 8(a). All dimensions and designs have been
optimized using the simulated results [12].
Fig. 8(b) shows the fabricated array using compound GP. One
DRA was removed from its groove to visualize the coupling
aperture on unit-A. The measured S11 values are compared to
the simulated data in Fig. 9. Excellent mutual agreement is evi-
dent. Moreover, it shows no considerable change in impedance
characteristics compared to the traditional version. The radiation
characteristics, measured in an automated anechoic chamber,
are furnished in Fig. 10. They closely corroborate the simu-
lated data. The peak gain is found to be around 11 dBi. The XP
levels are more than 30 dB down compared to the peak value.
Proposed compound GP configuration indeed restricts the edge
current relative to that in a traditional GP, which in turn re-
duces edge diffraction over the E-plane and hence the sidelobe
level. About 5 dB suppression is revealed. Simulated current
portrayals, though not shown here, helped us in developing this
insight.
SARKAR et al.: GLUELESS COMPOUND GROUND TECHNIQUE FOR DIELECTRIC RESONATOR ANTENNA AND ARRAYS
Fig. 10. Measured and simulated radiation patterns at 3.9 GHz of the DRA
array examined in Fig. 9: (a) E-plane (yz plane), (b) H-plane (xz plane).
IV. CONCLUSION
The study ensures the feasibility of glueless technology for
DRA over a wide range, specifically up to 25 GHz (based on
examinations up to 60 GHz). Proposed two-unit compound GP
with the provision of soldering the holder pins provides an im-
proved and robust practical solution. A replacement of pins
by metal wire is suggested for higher frequencies (Ku-band
onward) to handle the machining.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank the useful comments of the
reviewers and the Associate Editor.
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2443
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