2012 Introduction

July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
CHAPTER 1
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Introduction
1.1 Introductory Remarks

Microstrip Patch Antennas Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com
Microstrip patch antennas (MPA) are a class of planar antennas which have
been researched and developed extensively in the last three decades. They
have become favorites among antenna designers and have been used in
many applications in wireless communication systems, both in the military
sector and in the commercial sector. The aim of this book is to provide
a coherent account of the theory, analysis, and design of these antennas.
Since the authors have been involved with the research and development
of MPAs from the early 1980’s, this book can also be regarded as a partial
record of their personal journeys in this field. A significant fraction of the
material is drawn from their own work in the last two and a half decades.
In this opening chapter, we first briefly describe some commonly used
antennas before MPAs came on the scene. This helps the reader appreciate
the attractiveness of MPAs. The chapter then discusses, in general terms,
the basic geometry of the MPA, material considerations, and various feed-
ing methods for the single element. A discussion on the knowledge and skills
needed to design MPAs follows. For easy reference, we include the electro-
magnetic spectrum and its utilization for various wireless communication
applications at the end of the chapter.
1.2 Conventional Antennas

We review some antennas that are commonly used before the advent
of microstrip patch antennas. They will be referred to as conventional
antennas.
The simplest and most widely used antenna element is the half-wave
dipole, which consists of two linear conductors about a quarter wave long,
driven by a source at the center, as shown in Figure 1.1a. Two variations
of the half-wave dipole are the quarter wave monopole (Figure 1.1b) and
the folded dipole (Figure 1.1c).
1
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
2 Microstrip Patch Antennas
Two-wire
Feeding
(a) (b) (c)
Fig. 1.1 Illustrations of (a) dipole; (b) monopole and (c) folded dipole.
Fig. 1.2 (a) A driven element and a director; (b) a driven element and a reflector.
The pattern of a dipole can be modified by placing a passive or parasitic

conductor near it. Although the parasitic element is not connected to a
source, a current is induced in it due to the radiation from the driven dipole.
The total radiation is the sum of the driven and the parasitic elements. By
suitably choosing the length and spacing of the latter, it can act either as
a reflector enhancing radiation in the direction of the dipole (negative x)
or as a director enhancing radiation in its own direction (positive x). These
are illustrated in Figure 1.2.
An antenna consisting of a driver, a reflecting element, and one or more
directing elements is called a Uda-Yagi array or a Yagi for short (Figure 1.3).
There is a limit to the number of parasitic elements that can be added to a
Yagi since the induced current on a parasitic element becomes progressively
smaller as its distance from the driven element increases. It ceases to play
an effective role if it is placed too far from the driven element. Yagis are
seldom designed to have more than 12 elements. A 7 element Yagi using a
folded dipole as driver is shown in Figure 1.3b.
While a thin conductor can act as a reflector, it is highly sensitive to fre-
quency. The frequency dependence is reduced if a plane conducting sheet
is used instead. The effectiveness of the reflecting sheet can be further
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 3
(a) (b)
Fig. 1.3 (a) A three-element Yagi-antenna and (b) a seven-element Yagi-antenna

using folded dipole as driver.
(a) (b)
Fig. 1.4 (a) Plane conductor type corner reflector antenna and (b) grid type
corner reflector antenna.
enhanced if it is bent into two sheets intersecting at an angle, as shown in

Figure 1.4a. The resulting structure is known as a corner reflector antenna.
The corner reflector has the limitation that, even if the sides are infinite in
extent, there is an upper limit to the directiveness of the resultant radiation.
To reduce wind resistance, the reflecting metal sheets are replaced by con-
ducting rods, resulting in a grid type corner reflector antenna (Figure 1.4b).
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Other traditional antenna elements are the loop antenna, the horn
antenna, and the helical antenna. The loop antenna is used extensively in
TV reception and as directional finders. An indoor TV antenna consisting
of a dipole and a loop is shown in Figure 1.5.
By flaring the aperture of an open-ended waveguide, a horn antenna is
obtained (Figure 1.6). The horn antenna is used extensively at microwave

frequencies, both as feed antennas for parabolic reflectors and as the stan-
dard calibration antenna for gain.
For communication with satellites and space vehicles, electromagnetic
waves with circular polarization (CP) is preferred over linear polarization
(LP). The helical antenna (Figure 1.7) is a popular CP antenna and was
the antenna brought to the moon by the astronauts in the late 1960’s and
early 1970’s.
Fig. 1.5 An indoor TV antenna.
Fig. 1.6 A horn antenna.

July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 5
Fig. 1.7 A helical antenna.
Table 1.1. Typical gain and bandwidth of conventional antenna

elements.
Typical Bandwidth
Element Typical gain (VSWR < 2)
Half-wave dipole/Folded dipole 2 dB 8–16%

Quarter-wave monopole 5 dB 8–16%
One wavelength loop 4 dB 10%
Yagi (Dipole + parasitics) 12 dB 5%
Dipole + Corner reflector 12 dB 8–16%
Helical antenna 16 dB 70%
Horn antenna 20 dB 20%
Two important antenna parameters are the gain and the impedance
bandwidth. The gain describes the directional property of an antenna while
the impedance bandwidth describes the range of frequencies within which
the voltage standing wave ratio is below a certain value. This value is usually
taken as 2 in academia and 1.5 in industry. The abbreviation for voltage
standing wave ratio is VSWR or SWR. Both will be used in this book.
Table 1.1 shows the typical values of these two parameters for the conven-
tional antenna elements described above.
One method of obtaining high gain antennas is to use an array of fed
elements, all of which are connected to a source. A linear array is one with
the elements arranged in a straight line. The elements can also be arranged
in a plane, resulting in a planar array. The element spacing is usually about
half a wavelength. In theory, for a given spacing, the gain can be made as
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Fig. 1.8 A linear array of folded dipoles.

Fig. 1.9 A planar array of helical antennas.
high as one wishes by increasing the number of elements. Figure 1.8 shows
a linear array of folded dipoles. Photograph of a planar array of helical
antennas is shown in Figure 1.9.
Another method of obtaining high gain antennas is to use a parabolic
reflector, with the feed antenna at the focus. This antenna is also known as
a dish. For a given frequency, the gain is proportional to the diameter of the
dish. In theory, the gain can be made as high as one wishes by increasing
the dish diameter. Figure 1.10a shows the 1000 feet dish at the Arecibo
Observatory in Puerto Rico. Figure 1.10b shows the 100 m (300 feet) dish
in Effelsberg, Germany. The former is the world’s largest dish but it is fixed
on the ground, although the main beam can be steered to a limited extent
by electronic means. The latter is one of the world’s largest fully steerable
dishes. Figure 1.11 shows the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico,
consisting of 27 85-feet dishes arranged in the form of the letter Y.
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Introduction 7
(a) (b)
Fig. 1.10 (a) The dish antenna at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico (Cour-
tesy of Astronomy and Ionosphere Center); and (b) the dish antenna in Effelsberg,
Germany (Courtesy of Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy).
Fig. 1.11 The Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico. (Courtesy of National
Radio Astronomy Observatory).
Several undesirable features of the conventional antennas can be noted.

They are bulky and they protrude from a surface. Moreover, it is difficult
to design conventional antennas to perform more than one functions, such
as dual-frequency and dual-polarization.
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Antennas which do not protrude from a surface are very desirable for
fast moving vehicles such as airplanes, missiles and spacecrafts. In the late
1970’s, the military was especially interested in such antennas because they
did not interfere with the aerodynamics of these vehicles. Historically, the
microstrip patch antenna was developed in response to this need although
its planar profile has been found to be an attractive feature in commercial

applications as well.
1.3 Geometries of the Basic Microstrip Patch Antenna

The idea of microstrip patch antennas arose from utilizing printed circuit
technology not only for the circuit components and transmission lines but
also for the radiating elements of an electronic system. It was first proposed
by Deschamps [2]. However, little attention was paid to his idea until the
1970’s. Since then, this class of antennas has been the subject of intensive
research and development. There are several thousand papers published on
the subject, as well as a number of books. A list of books are given in the
references [3–13].
The basic structure of the microstrip patch antenna is shown in
Figure 1.12. It consists of an area of metallization supported above a ground
plane by a thin dielectric substrate and fed against the ground at an appro-
priate location. The patch shape can in principle be arbitrary; in practice,
the rectangle, the circle, the equitriangle and the annular-ring are common
shapes. Four feeding methods are shown in Figure 1.13. They are: coaxial
probe feed, microstrip line feed, aperture-coupled feed and proximity feed.
Electromagnetic energy is first guided or coupled to the region under the
patch, which acts like a resonant cavity with open circuits on the sides.
Fig. 1.12 The basic structure of the microstrip patch antenna.

July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 9
Fig. 1.13 Four common feeding methods of microstrip patch antenna.
Some of the energy leaks out of the cavity and radiates into space, result-
ing in an antenna.
1.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Microstrip Patch

Antennas
1.4.1 Advantages
The advantages of microstrip patch antennas are:
(1) Planar, which can also be made conformal to a shaped surface
(2) Low profile
(3) Low radar cross-section
(4) Rugged
(5) Can be produced by printed circuit technology
(6) Can be integrated with circuit elements
(7) Can be designed for dual polarization operations
(8) Can be designed for dual or multi-frequency operations
These advantages make microstrip patch antennas much more suitable
for aircrafts, spacecrafts, and missiles than conventional antennas as they
do not interfere with the aerodynamics of these moving vehicles.
Figure 1.14 shows the picture of a Shuttle imaging radar antenna con-
sisting of an array of microstrip patch antennas, in the laboratory (a) and
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01

(a) (b)
Fig. 1.14 The picture of a Shuttle imaging radar antenna consisting of an array of
microstrip patch antennas, (a) in the laboratory and (b) during flight. (Courtesy
of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA).
Fig. 1.15 A 896-element microstrip antenna array. (Courtesy of Ball Aerospace

Systems Division, Boulder, Colorado).
during flight (b). Figure 1.15 shows a 896 element microstrip antenna array
for remote sensing applications. Their planar profiles are to be contrasted
with those of the arrays shown in Figure 1.9. In Figure 1.16, an array of
microstrip patch antennas are made conformal to a wing shape surface.
Because of the advantages listed above, the microstrip patch antenna
has also become the favorite of antenna designers for commercial mobile
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 11
Fig. 1.16 An array of microstrip antennas are made conformal to a wing shape
surface. (Courtesy of Air Force Research Lab./Antenna Technology Branch,
Hanscom AFB, USA)
Fig. 1.17 A patch antenna in a cellular phone.
and wireless communication systems. Figure 1.17 shows a patch antenna in

a cellular phone. Figure 1.18 shows a base station antenna array consisting
of patches. Figure 1.19 shows patch antenna arrays mounted on the walls
of a building for satellite television reception.
1.4.2 Disadvantages of Microstrip Patch Antennas

There are several disadvantages associated with microstrip patch antennas.
(1) In its basic form, the microstrip antenna has a narrow impedance band-
width, typically less than 5%. However, various bandwidth-widening
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01

Fig. 1.18 A base station antenna array consisting of patches.
Fig. 1.19 Patch antenna arrays mounted on the walls of a building. (Reproduced
by permission from J.-F. Zurcher and F. E. Gardiol “Broadband Patch Antennas”,
Norwood, M.A. Artech House, Inc. 1995)
techniques have been developed. Up to 50% bandwidth have been

achieved. It is generally true that wider bandwidth is achieved with
the sacrifice of increased antenna physical volume.
(2) Due to the small separation between the radiating patch and its ground
plane, the microstrip antenna can handle relatively low RF power. The
average power considered safe is a few tens of watts.
(3) While a single patch element generally incurs very little loss because
it is only about one half wave long, microstrip arrays generally have
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 13
larger ohmic loss than arrays of other types of antennas of equivalent

aperture size. This ohmic loss mostly occurs in the dielectric substrate
and the metal conductor of the microstrip line feed network and power
dividing circuit.
1.5 Material Consideration

The metallic patch is normally made of thin copper foil. The substrate
material provides mechanical support for the radiating patch elements. It
also maintains the required spacing between the patch and its ground plane.
The substrate thickness for the basic geometry is in the range of 0.01 to
0.05 free-space wavelength.
The dielectric constant ranges from 1 to 10 and can be separated into
three categories.
(1) Those having a relative dielectric constant (relative permittivity) in the

range of 1.0 to 2.0. This type of material can be air, polystyrene foam,
or dielectric honeycomb.
(2) Those having a relative dielectric constant in the range of 2.0 to 4.0.
This type of material consists mostly of Fiber-glass reinforced Teflon.
(3) Those with a relative dielectric constant between 4.0 and 10.0. This
type of material can be ceramic, quartz, or alumnia.
The most commonly used material is Teflon-based with a relative permit-

tivity between 2 and 3. This material is also called PTFE (PolyTeraFluo-
roEthylene). It has a structure very similar to fiberglass material used for
digital circuit boards, but has a much lower loss tangent.
Cost, power loss, and performance are trade-off considerations in choos-
ing the substrate material, as illustrated by the following examples. For
example, a single patch or an array of a few elements may be fabri-
cated on a low-cost fiberglass material at the L-band frequency, while a
20-element array at 30 GHz may have to use higher-cost, but lower loss,
Teflon-based material (loss tangent less than 0.005). For a large num-
ber of array elements at lower microwave frequencies (below 15 GHz), a
dielectric honeycomb or foam panel may be used as a substrate to mini-
mize loss, antenna mass, and material cost while having increased band-
width performance. There are materials with relative dielectric constant
higher than 10. The patch size is smaller for higher dielectric constant.
However, higher dielectric constant also reduces bandwidth and radiation
efficiency.
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1.6 Feed Methods for the Single Element

We briefly describe here four feed methods for the microstrip patch antenna.
1.6.1 Coaxial Probe Feed

This is perhaps the most common feeding method. The geometry is shown
in Figure 1.20. The coaxial probe usually has a characteristic impedance of
50 ohms. As will be shown in a later chapter, the input impedance of the
patch antenna varies with the feed location. Thus the location of the probe
should be at a 50 ohm point of the patch to achieve impedance matching.
There are a number of terms associated with the coaxial probe. Type N,
TNC, or BNC connectors are for VHF, UHF, or lower microwave frequen-
cies. OSM or OSSM connectors can be used throughout the microwave
frequencies. OSSM, OS-50 or K-connector are for millimeter-wave
frequencies.
1.6.2 Microstrip-Line Feed

A microstrip patch can be connected directly to a microstrip transmis-
sion line, as shown in Figure 1.21. At the edge of a patch, the impedance
is generally much higher than 50 ohm (e.g. 200 ohm). To avoid impedance
mismatch, sections of quarter-wavelength transformers can be used to trans-
form a large input impedance to a 50 ohm line.
As shown in a later chapter, the input impedance is smaller at points
away from the edge. Thus another method of matching the antenna
impedance is to extend the microstrip line into the patch, as shown in
Figure 1.22.
Fig. 1.20 The geometry of coaxial probe feed microstrip patch antenna (a) top
view and (b) side view.
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 15
Fig. 1.21 The geometry of a direct microstrip feed microstrip patch antenna
(a) top view and (b) side view.
Fig. 1.22 The geometry of a recessed microstrip line feed microstrip patch
antenna (a) top view and (b) side view.
With the microstrip-line feed approach, an array of patch elements and

their microstrip power division lines can all be designed and chemically
etched on the same substrate with relatively low fabrication cost per ele-
ment. However, the leakage radiation of the transmission lines may be large
enough to raise the sidelobe or cross-polarized levels of the array radiation.
1.6.3 Proximity-Coupled Microstrip-Line Feed

An open-ended microstrip line can also be used to feed a patch antenna
through proximity coupling, as shown in Figure 1.23. For example, the open
end of a 100 ohm line can be placed underneath the patch at its 100 ohm
location.
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01

Fig. 1.23 The geometry of a proximity coupled microstrip feed microstri patch
antenna (a) top view and (b) side view.
Fig. 1.24 The geometry of a patch antenna fed by an adjacent microstrip line
(a) top view and (b) side view.
An open-ended microstrip line can also be placed in parallel and very

close to the edge of a patch, to achieve excitation through fringe-field cou-
pling, as shown in Figure 1.24. Both these methods avoid any soldering
connection, which in some cases, could achieve better mechanical reliability.
1.6.4 Aperture-Coupled Feed

An open-ended microstrip line can be placed on one side of the ground plane
to excite a patch antenna situated on the other side through an opening
slot in the ground plane, as shown in Figure 1.25.
This slot-coupling or aperture-coupling technique can be used to avoid
soldering connection was well as to avoid leakage radiation of the line to
interfere with the patch radiation.
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 17
Patch Dielectric substrate
Ground plane
Aperture
Microstrip Feed line Dielectric

substrate
(c) Pictorial View
Fig. 1.25 The geometry of an aperture coupled feed microstrip patch antenna
(a) top view, (b) side view (c) pictorial view.
In addition, by using a thick substrate, this feed method allows the

patch to achieve a wider bandwidth (>10%) compared to the coax probe
feed. Still wider bandwidth (about 20%) is obtained if a resonant slot is
used. When two resonators (slot and patch) having different but closely
spaced resonance, wider bandwidth is achieved. The main disadvantage of
this feeding method is the back radiation from the slot.
1.6.5 Summary of Advantages and Disadvantages

of Feeding Methods
Table 1.2 summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the four feeding
methods discussed above.
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Table 1.2. The comparisons between the four common feeding methods for
microstrip patch antenna.
Advantages Disadvantages
• No direct contact between feed • Multilayer fabrication
Proximity Coupled
and patch required
• Can have large effective

thickness for patch substrate
and much thinner feed substrate
• Monolithic • Spurious radiation
Microstrip Line
• Easy to fabricate from feed line,
especially for thick

• Easy to match by controlling substrate when line
• Insert position width is significant
• Easy to match • Large inductance for

Coaxial Feed
• Low spurious radiation thick substrate
• Soldering required
• Use of two substrates avoids • Multilayer fabrication
Aperture Coupled
deleterious effect of a required
high-dielectric constant
• Higher backlobe
substrate on the bandwidth and
radiation
efficiency
• No direct contact between feed
and patch avoiding large probe
reactance or width microstrip
line
• No radiation from the feed and
active devices since a ground
plane separates them from the
radiating patch
1.7 General Comments on Designing Microstrip Patch

Antennas
To be able to design microstrip patch antennas to meet the performance
specifications, the antenna engineer should possess a combination of cer-
tain knowledge and skills. First, he should have an understanding of the
principles of operation of the basic microstrip patch antenna structure.
This can be obtained from a physical model known as the cavity model,
which is based on a number of assumptions applicable to thin substrates.
Within its limitations, the theory provides an understanding of the physical
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 19
principles and can predict the parametric dependence of a number of

antenna characteristics.
In practice, it is rare that the performance specifications can be met by
the basic microstrip patch antenna structure. Thick substrates and addi-
tional features, such as parasitic patches, shorting pins, or slots in the patch,
have to be added. Unfortunately, once the structure departs from the basic
geometry, it is not amendable to analysis via a simple model. Maxwell’s
equations must be solved and boundary conditions satisfied, a procedure
known as full-wave analysis. Such analysis, while not providing much phys-
ical insight, does yield numerical results predicting the performance of the
antenna structure.
Throughout the 1980’s to the mid 1990’s, the patch antenna designer
often had to perform full wave analysis for specific designs and developed
his own computer code to obtain numerical results for the characteristics of
a design, which can be validated by comparison with experiment. Through
the efforts of many researchers, a wealth of knowledge has been accumu-
lated for sophisticated structures. This knowledge should be at the disposal
of the designer. Beginning in the mid 1990’s, electromagnetic simulation
softwares capable for solving general planar microstrip structures became
commercially available at moderate costs. It is rare that a research group
in a University or a company does not have an array of such softwares.
Thus being proficient in using at least a few of these softwares becomes
a must for antenna designers. Nowadays, while the antenna designer sel-
dom needs to perform the full wave analysis and develops his own codes,
knowledge of this is still valuable since it will enable the designer to use
the codes judiciously and be aware of their limitations. It will also help him
to develop softwares in situations which are not covered in commercially
available softwares, such as substrate materials with novel properties.
Table 1.3 shows a number of commercial electromagnetic simulation
softwares. One class uses the method of moments (MoM) in the numeri-
cal analysis, while another uses the finite difference time domain method
(FDTD). One software, HFSS, is based on the finite element method.
Another software, PCAAD, is based on the cavity model. The segmentation
method used in Micropatch is a variation of the cavity model.
Finally, the antenna designer should have the skills to fabricate the
design and verify the predicted performance from measurements.
Figure 1.26 illustrates the design process, adapted from the concept due
to John Huang and David Pozar [15].
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Table 1.3. A list of commercial electromagnetic simulation softwares (From

[14]
c 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted with permission.)
Software Name Theoretical model Company
Ensemble Moment method Ansoft

IE3D Moment method Zeland

Momentum Moment method HP
EM Moment method Sonnet
PiCasso Moment method/Genetic EMAG
FEKO Moment method EMSS
PCAAD Cavity model Antenna Design Associates
Micropatch Segmentation Microstrip Design, Inc.

Microwave Studio FDTD CST
(MAFIA)
Fidelity FDTD Zeland
HFSS Finite element Ansoft
Creativity and Feedback correction

Innovation
No
Commercial or Do the
Preliminary Self-Developed simulation
Design Antenna Simulation
Design Electromagnetic results agree
Specifications Designer Results
Specifications Simulation well with design
Software specifications?
Yes
Patch Antenna
Principles and Design
Design
Techniques
Fabrication
Feedback correction
Measurement
Results
Do the
measured results
agree well with Final Design
No design Yes
specifications?
Fig. 1.26 The antenna design flow chart.
In this book, we aim at providing the reader with the important block
“Patch Antenna Principles and Design Techniques” in Figure 1.26 and some
knowledge of the basis of developing electromagnetic simulation softwares.
While it is outside the scope of this book to teach how to use specific
commercial simulation softwares, the reader will need to become familiar
with one or two of these if he is to do the mini-projects at the end of
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
Introduction 21
Fig. 1.27 (a) Electromagnetic spectrum, (b) band designations.
Table 1.4. Typical frequencies of various wireless communication applications.
Typical Frequencies
AM broadcast band 535–1605 kHz GSM cellular phone 900 MHz (33.3 cm)
Shortwave radio 3–30 MHz PCS cellular phone 1.8/1.9 GHz
(16.5 cm/20 cm)
FM broadcast band 88–108 MHz 3G cellular phone 2.1 GHz (14.3 cm)
VHF TV (2–4) 54–72 MHz Wireless LAN 2.45 GHz (12.2 cm)
VHF TV (5–6) 76–88 MHz Microwave oven 2.45 GHz (12.2 cm)
UHF TV (7–13) 174–216 MHz Automobile collision
warning &
UHF TV (14–83) 470–890 MHz intelligent cruise 76.5 GHz (0.4 cm)
control system
July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01
most of the chapters. The reader is expected to obtain the fabrication and
experimental knowledge in a course on microwave measurements.
1.8 Utilization of The Electromagnetic Spectrum

for Wireless Communication Applications
For reference purposes, we include the electromagnetic spectrum and its

utilization for various wireless communication applications. This are given
in Figure 1.27 and Table 1.4.
References
[1] K. F. Lee, Principles of Antenna Theory, John Wiley & Sons, 1973.
[2] G. A. Deschamps, “Microstrip microwave antennas”, 3rd USAF Symposium
on Antennas, 1953.
[3] I. J. Bahl and P. Bhartia, Microstrip Antennas, Artech House, 1980.
[4] J. R. James, P. S. Hall and C. Wood, Microstrip antenna theory and Design,
Peter Peregrinus, 1981.
[5] J. R. James and P. S. Hall (Editors), Handbook of Microstrip Antennas,
Peter Peregrinus, 1989.
[6] Jean-Francois Zurcher and F. E. Gardiol, Broadband Patch Antennas, Artech
House, 1995.
[7] K. F. Lee and W. Chen (Editors), Advances in Microstrip and Printed
Antennas, Wiley Interscience, 1997.
[8] K. L. Wong, Design of Nonplanar Microstrip Antennas and Transmission
Lines, Wiley Interscience, 1999.
[9] G. Garg, P. Bhartia, I. Bahl, A. Ittipiboon, Microstrip Antenna Design
Handbook, Artech House, 2002.
[10] K. L. Wong, Compact and Broadband Microstrip Antennas, Wiley Inter-
science, 2002.
[11] K. L. Wong, Planar Antennas for Wireless Communications, Wiley Inter-
science, 2003.
[12] G. Kumar and K. P. Ray, Broadband Microstrip Antennas, Artech House,
2003.
[13] Z. N. Chen and M. Y. W. Chia, Broadband Planar Antennas, John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd. 2006.
[14] J. Huang, “Microstrip Antennas: Analysis, Design and Applications”,
Chapter 4 in Modern Antenna Handbook, Edited by Constantine A. Balanis,
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2008.
[15] J. Huang and D. M. Pozar, “Microstrip Arrays: Analysis, Design, and Appli-
cations”, Chapter 3 in Advances in Microstrip and Printed Antennas, K. F.
Lee and W. Chen Editors, Wiley Interscience, 1997.

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July 1, 2010 11:7 9in x 6in b937-ch01

1.1 Introductory Remarks

1.2 Conventional Antennas

2 Microstrip Patch Antennas

(a) (b) (c)

The pattern of a dipole can be modiﬁed by placing a passive or parasitic

Fig. 1.3 (a) A three-element Yagi-antenna and (b) a seven-element Yagi-antenna

enhanced if it is bent into two sheets intersecting at an angle, as shown in

4 Microstrip Patch Antennas

obtained (Figure 1.6). The horn antenna is used extensively at microwave

Fig. 1.5 An indoor TV antenna.

Fig. 1.6 A horn antenna.

Fig. 1.7 A helical antenna.

Table 1.1. Typical gain and bandwidth of conventional antenna

Half-wave dipole/Folded dipole 2 dB 8–16%

6 Microstrip Patch Antennas

Fig. 1.8 A linear array of folded dipoles.

Fig. 1.9 A planar array of helical antennas.

Several undesirable features of the conventional antennas can be noted.

8 Microstrip Patch Antennas

its planar proﬁle has been found to be an attractive feature in commercial

1.3 Geometries of the Basic Microstrip Patch Antenna

Fig. 1.12 The basic structure of the microstrip patch antenna.

Fig. 1.13 Four common feeding methods of microstrip patch antenna.

1.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Microstrip Patch

10 Microstrip Patch Antennas

Fig. 1.15 A 896-element microstrip antenna array. (Courtesy of Ball Aerospace

Fig. 1.17 A patch antenna in a cellular phone.

and wireless communication systems. Figure 1.17 shows a patch antenna in

1.4.2 Disadvantages of Microstrip Patch Antennas

12 Microstrip Patch Antennas

Fig. 1.18 A base station antenna array consisting of patches.

techniques have been developed. Up to 50% bandwidth have been

larger ohmic loss than arrays of other types of antennas of equivalent

1.5 Material Consideration

(1) Those having a relative dielectric constant (relative permittivity) in the

The most commonly used material is Teﬂon-based with a relative permit-

14 Microstrip Patch Antennas

1.6 Feed Methods for the Single Element

1.6.1 Coaxial Probe Feed

1.6.2 Microstrip-Line Feed

With the microstrip-line feed approach, an array of patch elements and

1.6.3 Proximity-Coupled Microstrip-Line Feed

16 Microstrip Patch Antennas

An open-ended microstrip line can also be placed in parallel and very

1.6.4 Aperture-Coupled Feed

Patch Dielectric substrate

Microstrip Feed line Dielectric

(c) Pictorial View

In addition, by using a thick substrate, this feed method allows the

1.6.5 Summary of Advantages and Disadvantages

18 Microstrip Patch Antennas

• Can have large eﬀective

especially for thick

• Easy to match • Large inductance for

1.7 General Comments on Designing Microstrip Patch

principles and can predict the parametric dependence of a number of

20 Microstrip Patch Antennas

Table 1.3. A list of commercial electromagnetic simulation softwares (From

Software Name Theoretical model Company

Ensemble Moment method Ansoft

IE3D Moment method Zeland

Micropatch Segmentation Microstrip Design, Inc.