Multi-Mode Tunable Terahertz Microstrip Patch
Antenna For Wireless Communication
Vishal Singh Gaurav Varshney
Electronics and communiation Electronics and communiation
2023 International Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Communication and Computers (ELEXCOM) | 979-8-3503-0511-1/23/$31.00 ©2023 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ELEXCOM58812.2023.10370037
Engineering
NIT Patna
Patna, India
vishals.ph21.ec@nitp.ac.in gaurav.ec@nitp.ac.in
Abstract—A terahertz (THz) microstrip patch antenna is
proposed to achieve the tunability of the antenna performances
through controlling the external biasing. The antenna comprises
of the single layer of graphene placed on the top of the patch.
This graphene is biased to tune the chemical potential over the
range of ࣆࢉ =0.5-0.9 eV. This tunability is reflectable from the
reflection coefficient and gain behavior. The antenna operates
over the frequency range of 1-7 THz with best gain of 7.73. This
proposed antenna with tunable feature aid in building up the
more robust and flexible communication devices.
Keywords—Multi-mode, antenna, tunable, graphene, and
microstrip patch.
I. INTRODUCTION
Terahertz waves are electromagnetic waves with
frequency ranges ranging from 0.1 to 10 THz. [1]. This
particular waves have the advantages of low energy, high data
rates and wide bandwidth. These advantages are driving this
particular EM waves into manty fields of medical,
communication, imaging and sensing. There are number of
devices realized based upon the THz regime such as
modulators, filters and antenna.
The backbone of the communication system lies into the
antenna devices that are often required to operate with the
either wide bandwidth and high data rates . Realization of the
antennas over the THz band of frequency would meet the
optimized specifications of operation which are need to be
employed in the current wireless communication scenario [2].
In this context, many antenna configurations are proposed for
the field of communication. Among them, Microstrip patch
antenna are renowned for its conformity over any surfaces.
Currently, the THz Microstrip antenna are being realized
but lack the functionality of the self-tune ability to sweep the
performances[3]. This alternatively is achieved through the re-
realizing the antenna from its initial fabrication phase. This
causes failure in the feasibility of the realizing the tunable THz
antenna. To invoke the tuneability, the 2- dimensional
material such as graphene are employable to antenna which is
capable to sweep the performances without re-fabricating it.
In this article, a THz Microstrip antenna is proposed to
operate over the frequency range of f=1-7 THz. The structure
consists of a rectangular patch antenna over the polyimide
substrate and the graphene is deposited on the substrate. The
chemical potential of graphene is swept using the help of
external dc biasing that are controllable to the designer. This
sweeping of the external biasing sweeps the proposed antenna
biasing. The proposed structure depicts the tunability over the
graphene chemical potential range of the ߤ௖ =0.7-0.9 eV. The
tunable nature of antenna is reflected from the reflection
979-8-3503-0511-1/23/$31.00©2023 IEEE
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Bambam Kumar
Electronics and communiation
Engineering Engineering
NIT Patna NIT Patna
Patna, India Patna, India
bambam.ec@nitp.ac.in
Fig. 1. The geometry of the microstrip patch antenna.
coefficient response that contained multiple band being
tuned with sweeping of chemical potential. This sweeping
also drive the gain of the antenna to depict the variability in its
behaviour. The proposed antenna is highly utilizable for the
multi-channel communication with the flexibility to alter the
functions. Additionally, the comparison and analysis of the
proposed antenna with or without graphene has been
discussed in section II.
II. ANTENNA GEOMTERY
Consider a polyamide substrate has been used with
thickness 1.8 ߤ݉ at which the microstrip patch is placed on it.
The dimension of the metallic patch as length and breadth of
35 m. the thickness of the single graphene sheet has
ͲǤͲ͵ͷߤ݉. The usage of graphene strip is utilized to achieve
the tunability in the frequency response of the S-parameter.
The dimension of the graphene strip as (lengthൈwidth) is
ሺ͵͵Ǥͷ ൈ ͷሻߤ݉ଶ respectively. The graphene is adhered to the
patch's upper surface. The ground plane is positioned at the
substrate's base. The ground plane has the same dimension as
the substrate. The thickness of the ground plane is ͲǤͲ͵ͷߤ݉.
The microstrip feedline is place on the substrate and attached
to the patch. The length of the microstrip feedline is ͹ǤͷͲߤ݉
and the width of the feedline is ͲǤͷͲߤ݉ . In table-1, the
dimension of the microstrip patch antenna using graphene
strip is mentioned in it. The results have been obtained using
CST software which is discussed and shown in the below.
Fig. 2. The evolution of the antenna.
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
There are two incremental processes has been done for
obtaining the evolution results which shown in the Fig. 3 and
4. The graphene strip is deposited on the surface of the
metallic patch which denotes antenna-1 and the graphene strip
is not present on the surface which can be denoted as antenna-
2. This graphene is used for tunable the multi-mode at
different resonant frequencies. Mostly, the chemical vapour
 TABLE I. ANTENNA DESIGN PARAMETER SPECIFICATIONS AND is changed by resonating the graphene due to these modes are
DIMENSIONS. (UNITS IN MM)
shifted towards another resonant frequencies.
Dimensions Value Dimensions Value

ࢃ࢙ ૞૙ ࢒ࢌ ૠǤ ૞૙

ࡸ࢙ ૞૙ ࢝ࢌ ૙Ǥ ૞૙
࢝࢖ ૜૞ ࢚ࢍ ૙Ǥ ૜૝࢔࢓
࢒࢖ ૜૞ h ૚Ǥ ૡ

deposition technique is used to deposition of the graphene

layer on the surface of the patch. Graphene sheet is placed on
the patch at particular position with optimized dimension for
obtaining the tunability. This antenna-1 has shown the triple
band at different frequencies. The first fundamental modes
resonant at 2.74 THz and next higher order modes resonant at
5.45 and 6.21 THz. After adding the graphene sheets, the
fundamental and second higher order mode has been shifted
towards the lower frequencies and third mode shifted towards
the higher frequencies [4]. The fundamental mode is shifted
from 2.74 THz to 2 THz. Second and third mode is shifted
from 5.45 to 5.18 and 6.21 to 6.58 THz. The gain is reported
in the Fig. 4 which depicts that after adding graphene strips
the gain is reduced at fundamental and second higher order
mode but at third higher order mode increases which is shown
in the Fig.4.
Fig. 5. 3-D gain pattern response with different resonant frequencies of the
antenna-1 and 2.

Fig. 3 The evolution response of the S-parameter.

Fig. 6. The variation of chemical potential with ܵଵଵ response of the proposed
antenna.

Fig. 4 The gain response of the antenna.

Figure 5 shows that 3-D gain pattern response at different

resonant frequency of the antenna-1 and 2. The alteration of
chemical potential and relaxation time over the frequency
range of the electrical and material parameters of the
graphene layers is depend on the surface conductivity of it.
The important key is that the location of the graphene strips
on the surface of the patch of the antenna. On adding the Fig. 7. E-field distribution of the antenna-1 and 2 at different resonant
frequency.
single graphene layer in the form strip at the center position
of the patch and on changing the chemical potential ߤ௖ which
provides the multi-mode tunable characteristics. Fig. 6 shows
that the variation of the chemical potential ሺߤܿሻ with
frequency response of the S-parameter of the proposed
antenna. It means that the frequency response of the S-
parameter can be controlled by changing the chemical
potential and the position of the graphene strip on the patch
with selection of the optimized dimensions. [5]. This analysis Fig. 8. The variation of the lengthሺ݈௚ ሻ with frequency response of the S-
parameter (ܵଵଵ ሻ of the proposed antenna.
of the electric field distribution is shown in Fig. 7. We
observe that the E-field distribution of the proposed antenna

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Fig. 9. The variation of width ሺ‫ݓ‬௚ ሻ of the graphene strip with frequency
response of the S-parameter of the proposed antenna.
single layer of graphene placed on the upper surface of the
metallic patch. This graphene is biased to tune the chemical
potential over the range of ߤ௖ =0.5-0.9 eV. This tunability is
reflectable from the reflection coefficient and gain behavior.
The proposed antenna operates over the frequency range of
1-7 THz with best gain of 7.73 dBi. This antenna has been
used in the military application for the detection of objects.
In the future, this technique has been used for generally
reconfigurable characteristics.

Fig.8 and 9 illustrated that the frequency response of the ܵଵଵ REFERENCES
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