Enhancement Performance Tapered Slot Vivaldi

Antenna for Weather Radar Application

Yahya Syukri Amrullah, Ken Paramayudha, Yuyu Wahyu
Research Center for Electronics and Telecommunication of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (RCET-LIPI)
Jl. Sangkuriang, Cisitu, Bandung 40135 INDONESIA
yahya.syukri@gmail.com

Abstract—Tapered slot vivaldi antenna is an antenna type

that has a very wide bandwidth. With that performance, tapered
slot vivaldi antenna can cause interference if it is applied on a
weather radar that requires a fairly narrow bandwidth only.
Therefore, this paper will discuss the design and simulation to
narrow bandwidth of the tapered slot vivaldi antenna in order to
provide good performance when applied for weather radar that
operates at 9.4 GHz. Design and simulation uses CST Microwave
Studio software by varying its dimension. From simulation has
been obtained vivaldi tapered slot antenna bandwidth narrowed
down to 13% at frequency operation, while other antenna
parameters still meet to the weather radar antenna requirement.

Keywords—13% bandwidth, tapered slot vivaldi antenna, 9.4

GHz, weather radar
I. INTRODUCTION
Vivaldi antenna is well-known with its high gain and ultra
wide bandwidth performance. It was introduced by Gibson in
1979 in tapered slot type [1]. It can operate on 2.14 – 11.33
GHz (136% bandwidth) with gain between 2 – 9.6 dBi [2].
Therefore, by one vivaldi antenna can be used for many
applications.
One application that often utilizes tapered slot vivaldi
antenna is radar, specifically weather radar at 9.4 GHz
frequency operation. But, for weather radar application is
needed some parameters addition. Those are low cross-
polarization, high port-to-port isolation, 400 MHz for
minimum bandwidth, compatible with standard PCB
processing, low back-radiation, environmentally robust and
highly efficient element [3]. And those requirements are also
satisfied by tapered slot vivaldi antenna [4].
If tapered slot vivaldi antenna real bandwidth is compared
to weather radar antenna bandwidth requirement, it will led
waste bandwidth widely. Because, weather radar antenna
bandwidth requirement only needs 400 MHz at 9.4 GHz,
meanwhile its real bandwidth is 2.14 – 11.33 GHz. Too wide
bandwidth that doesn’t used can interfere the needed real
signal. It will raise more error for object detection in radar.
Therefore, in this paper will be designed a tapered slot vivaldi
antenna that meets the weather radar antenna bandwidth
requirement.
Fig. 1. Types of vivaldi antenna (a) Tapered slot vivaldi antenna (b) Antipodal
vivaldi antenna (c) Balanced antipodal vivaldi antenna.[2]
II. METHODOLOGY
Since vivaldi antenna was introduced in 1979, it has been
being developed to be many types. But generally, there are
three main types of vivaldi antenna. Those are tapered slot
vivaldi antenna, antipodal vivaldi antenna and balanced
antipodal vivaldi antenna that shown in Fig. 1. Every type has
strength and weakness. For tepered slot vivaldi antenna, it
shows best gain and directivity than others, but its weakness
are narrowest bandwidth and more difficult feed designing than
the others [1]. While antipodal vivaldi antenna has easiest way
to design and implement feeding, but it has weakness namely
its cross-polarization is highest than the others [5]. Cross-
polarization is one cause of undetailed object detection for
radar application. While balanced antipodal vivaldi antenna has
widest bandwidth than the others but its weakness are most
expensive to implemented and most complex to design [6].
Even though every type of vivaldi antenna has been mentioned
its strength and weakness, it is still not enough information to
choose which vivaldi antenna is.
There is an idea to reduce tapered slot vivaldi antenna
bandwidth. That idea is putting a proper balloon for tapered
slot vivaldi antenna transition that shown in Fig. 2. The balloon
consists of the non-tapered slot line formed at the narrower end
of the slot line that is terminated by an open circuit, and the
microstrip line on the opposite face of the substrate, extending
from the feed point and terminated by a short circuit. The
microstrip line is terminated by a short circuit to the ground
plane and the slot line is terminated in an open circuit by the
circular cavity. Both the slot line and the microstrip line have a
45° twist centered about a common point in the plane of the bottom of the antenna in the direction parallel to the central
substrate [7]. By that method, tapered slot vivaldi antenna axis [8]. Radiator and backplane are simulated using copper
bandwidth can be reduced up to 90% bandwidth at its annealed by 0.035 mm for its thickness. Between radiator and
frequency operation. Because of that research, we assumed that backplane, there is a substrate that simulated by 1.6 mm FR-4
tapered slot vivaldi antenna bandwidth will be reduced easier. epoxy.
In this project, tapered slot vivaldi antenna was redesigned At first simulation, design parameters value was filled
by trial or changing value of its parameters design. To see using initial value from [9], [2] and filled by self. It is shown in
effect of changing parameters design value, it was simulated in Table 1 below.
CST Microwave Studio. Simulation is stopped when
simulation shows the best result for bandwidth, impedance,
gain and polarization. Tapered slot vivaldi antenna TABLE I. DESIGN PARAMETER AND ITS INITIAL VALUE
performance must meet to parameters for weather radar that
Design parameters Value
has been mentioned in.
L 52 mm
III. DESIGN AND SIMULATION W 28.5 mm
Tapered slot vivaldi antenna has three main components, p 0.09
(a)
that are radiator, substrate and backplane. Radiator consists of (b)
Fig. 2. 10% bandwidth tapered slot vivaldi antenna (a) Top view (b) Bottom view.[7] Ls 3 mm
a stripline for feeding and a sector of circle for radiator. While,
Ws 1 mm
its backplane is formed by a rectangular subtracted by a circle
balloon, a rectangular transition and a symmetric exponential r1 6 mm
curve. It structure is shown in Fig. 3. Lo 30 mm
Exponential curve on tapered slot vivaldi antenna follows Wf 3 mm
formula: r2 9 mm

α 90o

substrate
backplane
substrate

rectangular
balloon transition
radiator
Exponential curve

(a) (b)
Fig. 3. Design parameters of tapered slot vivaldi antenna (a) bottom view (b) top view

px
y=c1 e +c 2 (1)

where c 1 and c 2 are constant, p is opening rate. If ( x 1 , y 1 ¿

and ( x 2 , y 2 ¿ are supposed as the beginning and the end
points of exponential curve, then
y 2− y 1 To get optimum antenna performance, design parameters
c 1= p x2 p x1 (2)
value are changed repetitively. Optimum antenna performance
e −e is shown when design parameters value is filled as well as in
Table 2 below.
y1 ep x − y2 e p x
2 1

c 2= p x2 p x1
e −e
(3)
y indicates the distance between the exponential edge and
the central axis in the direction perpendicular to the central
axis, while x indicates the distance between the edge and
 360
0
330 30
8

4
TABLE II. DESIGN PARAMETER VALUE FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE 60
300 0
Design parameters Value
L 29.5 mm -4

W 19.5 mm -8
p 0.075
270 -12 90
Ls 1.5 mm
Ws 0.75 mm
r1 3 mm
Lo 19.5 mm
Wf 3 mm 240 120

r2 4.5 mm

α 90o
150
210
Radiation Pattern
IV. RESULT AND DISCUSSION 180

Performance of designed tapered slot vivaldi antenna will

be discussed
0 here. To show how so good its performance, it
will be4 compared
4.9 5.8 to6.7antenna parameters
7.6 8.5 9.4 10.3value that mentioned
11.2 12.1 13 13.9
in the previous chapters.
-5

Fig. 5. 2D radiation pattern at 9.4 GHz

-10
Fig. 4. shows tapered slot vivaldi antenna operates in 8.75 –
10.06 GHz. So, its bandwidth is 1.31 GHz. If it is compared to
-15 tapered slot vivaldi antenna bandwidth in [2], it has narrower
bandwidth, namely only 13,92% in remaining. By its narrower
bandwidth, it can reduce interference caused by “strange”
-20
signal.
Return Loss
TABLE III. VALUE FOR MAINLOBE, GAIN AND AXIAL RATIO AT FREQUENCY
-25 OPERATION
Frequency Mainlobe Gain Axial Ratio
(GHz) (deg) (dB) (dB)
8,75 341 5,58 40
Fig. 4. Return loss chart
8,8 342 5,65 40
8,9 343 5,79 40
9 344 5,92 40
9,1 345 6,04 40
9,2 346 6,15 40
9,3 348 6,24 40
9,4 350 6,3 40
9,5 352 6,32 40
9,6 353 6,3 40
9,7 355 6,23 40
9,8 356 6,11 40
9,9 356 5,96 40
10 356 5,78 40

Figure 5. shows tapered slot vivaldi antenna has

unidirectional radiation pattern. Mainlobe is on 346° and its
realized gain is 6.259 dB. While its beamwidth is 58°. Its gain
and beamwidth is not meet to weather radar requirement yet.
To meet this requirement, tapered slot vivaldi antenna element
must be arranged in array.
Table III shows antenna has 40 dB axial ratio at each
mainlobe. It means antenna design has linear polarization on its
mainlobe. Linear polarization is needed in weather radar
application to precise object detection.
Tapered slot vivaldi antenna impedance is only influenced
by feeding width. By 3 mm for feeding width, it will generate
50 ohm impedance. 50 ohm is chosen because to ease antenna
integration with connector that usually used.
V. CONCLUSION
Tapered slot vivaldi antenna has been designed and
simulated. It has similar performance to other tapered slot
vivaldi antenna. But, it has special characteristic, namely its
bandwidth is reduced reach to 13.9% in remaining. By its
narrower bandwidth, it is being more suitable to utilize for
weather radar application only.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research activity was conducted as part of the research
project “Development of Phase Array Antenna for
Beamforming Control in Weather Radar Application,” funded
by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Indonesia.
REFERENCES
[1] P.J. Gibson, "The vivaldi aerial," Proceedings of the 9 th European
Microwave Conference, p. 101–105, 1979.
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antenna for UWB Applications,” 24 th International Conference on
Microelectronics (ICM), p. 1–4, 2012.
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Weather Radar Applications,” Microwaves, Communications, Antennas
and Electronics Systems (COMCAS), p. 1–5, 2011.
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Antenna for Ultra Wideband Applications” published on
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4369843.
[5] E. Gazit, "Improved design of the vivaldi antenna.," IEE Proceedings, p.
89–92, 1988.
[6] P. S. L. H. J. D. SNewham, "Balanced antipodal Vivaldi antenna for
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vol. 143, no. 2, pp. 97-102, Apr. 1996.
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Advances in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, p. 1–6, 2012.
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