See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/234799696

A TEM horn antenna design and measurement

Article · January 1992

CITATIONS READS

4 1,447

5 authors, including:

Cheng-Hung Lin Guan-Yu Chen

29 PUBLICATIONS 95 CITATIONS
National Taipei University of Technology
76 PUBLICATIONS 251 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
SEE PROFILE

Jwo-Shiun Sun Kwong K Tiong

National Taipei University of Technology National Taiwan Ocean University
137 PUBLICATIONS 825 CITATIONS 256 PUBLICATIONS 3,418 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Kwong K Tiong on 27 May 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 12th WSEAS International Conference on COMMUNICATIONS, Heraklion, Greece, July 23-25, 2008

A TEM Horn Antenna Design and Measurement

Cheng-Hung Lin, Guan-Yu Chen, Jwo-Shiun Sun, Kwong-Kau Tiong ,and YD Chen
Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University
Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology
EMC and Antenna Laboratory, High Tech Computer Corp (HTC), Taiwan

Abstract: - The semi-rigid cable for radio frequency band as a feeding network
structure that effectively excited tapered triangle-shape TEM horn antenna geometry
is proposed. The semi-rigid cable to parallel waveguide transition then to feed
triangle-shape parallel plate transmission line as a TEM horn antenna. The designed
triangle-shape TEM horn antenna has the merits such as wideband, simple feeding
network, low profile compact size with fairly good antenna performances such as
return loss, peak gain and radiation patterns.

Key-Words: TEM Horn Antenna; Balun

1 Introduction beamwidth, wide-bandwidth low-scattering

The radiation mechanism of a transverse
electromagnetic (TEM) horn antenna is
based on traveling wave propagation along
the tapered aperture slot, which results in an
end-fire antenna. TEM horn or tapered slot
antenna (TSA) exhibits some advantages
such as wideband, wide scanning, high gain,
low cross polarization and symmetrical E
and H plane radiation patterns [1] for an
array or embedded circuits as antenna
radiating elements. Some articles for
analyses of tapered slot antenna were
studied such as moment method [2], finite
difference time domain method [3]. And the
applications of TSA were proposed in dual
polarized antenna array [4], spatial power
combining [5] and waveguide transition [6].
The general feeding structures in a TSA
were mentioned with a coaxial cable, a
microstrip line or a coplanar waveguide
(CPW) [7-9]. A novel design method [10]
for a TEM horn antenna is proposed on the
basis of parallel plate waveguide theory.
This triangle-shape TEM horn antenna has a
linearly tapered structure to increase the
matching bandwidth. An exponentially
tapered wideband TEM horn antenna [11]
having a balun is designed. The balun is
used to improve the impedance
characteristic of the TEM horn antenna. The
designed antenna can be used not only for
EMC measurements, but also for broadband
communication systems. A novel stable
antenna [12] is presented. This antenna is a
modified version of the conducting slotline
bowtie hybrid antenna with resistive sheets
introduced into the guiding structure design.
The analytical and design formula [13],
based on conformal mapping, for the
characteristic impedance of the transverse
electromagnetic horn antenna. In this design,
the semi-rigid cable with a tapered parallel
waveguide transition is shown good
impedance matching and easy to integration
and fabrication and the frame of the 3D
structure on triangle-shape TEM horn was
experimentally investigated. Measured
results indicate that effects have significant
impacts on the return loss, input impedance,
radiation patterns and antenna gain of the
TEM horn antenna.
2 TEM Antenna Design
The tapered parallel plate transmission line
(Fig. 1) to make tapered triangle-shape as
TEM antenna radiator. The TEM horn
antenna is a kind of traveling wave antenna
that wave propagating along the tapered slot
for heading radiation. The antenna is a
non-resonant low-Q radiator with input
impedance that remains essentially constant
over a wide frequency range. The TEM
antenna is well matched to space providing
a smooth transition from the guided wave
on the input transmission line to a free space
EM wave. The basic geometry of the

ISSN: 1790-5117 82 ISBN: 978-960-6766-84-8

 12th WSEAS International Conference on COMMUNICATIONS, Heraklion, Greece, July 23-25, 2008
designed TEM horn antenna is like a double
tapered ridge as shown in Fig. 2. The
transition provides wider balanced equal
outputs, as well as a matching section for
the traveling tapered slot of TEM horn
antenna. The FEM software based on full
wave frequency domain method [14] was
adopted to perform the simulation of the
designed low profile TEM horn antenna.
The triangle-shape TEM horn was
fabricated on the air substrate (dielectric
constant=1 and dielectric loss=0) and detail
size is shown in Fig. 3. The simple TEM
horn antenna structures exhibits broadband
and low profile compact structure for
applications.
3 Results
Fig. 3 shows the layout of the TEM horn
antenna size and structure. The measured
data of the designed TEM horn antenna
shows quite broadband. The measured
return loss and input impedance of TEM
horn antenna (Zin=Rin+jXin) shows good
impedance matching based on the transition
as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The radiation
characteristics of the TEM horn antenna
based on the spherical coordinate is
measured. The measured data of total
antenna gain of H-plane is shown in Fig. 6.
4 Conclusion
The designed TEM horn antenna fed by
tapered parallel waveguide and the
transition is presented. It exhibits the merits
of geometric simplicity, wide bandwidth,
lightweight, low cross polarization, and high
peak gain.
Acknowledgement
The authors acknowledge the Antenna and
Wireless System Integration Department of
High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC), Taiwan,
for sport the wireless technique and
measurement environment. (www.htc.com)
References:
[1] K.F. Lee and W. Chen, “Advances in
microstrip and printed antennas,” John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1997
[2] D.H. Schaubert, J.A. Aas, M.E. Cooley,
and N.E. Buris, “Moment method analysis
of infinite stripline fed tapered slot antenna
arrays with a ground plane,” IEEE Trans.
ISSN: 1790-5117
Antennas Propagation, vol.42, pp.1161-1166,
Aug. 1994
[3] E.Thiele and A. Taflove, “FD-TD
analysis of vivaldi flared horn antennas and
array,” IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagat.,
vol.42, pp.633-641, May. 1994
[4] T.H. Chio and D.H. Schaubert,
“Parameter study and design of wide band
widescan dual polarized tapered slot
antenna arrays,” IEEE Trans. Antennas
Propagation, vol.48, pp.879-886, Jun. 2000
[5] N.S. Cheng, P.Jia, D.B. Rensch, and R.A.
York, “A 120-w x-band spatially combined
solid-state amplifier,” IEEE Trans.
Microwave Theory Tech., vol.47,
pp.2557-2561, Dec. 1999
[6] T.H. Lin and R.B. Wu, “CPW to
waveguide transition with tapered slotline
probe,” IEEE Microwave and Wireless
Components Lett., vol.11, pp.314-316, Jul.
2001
[7] J.P. Kim and W.S. Park, “Network
analysis of inclined microstrip-slotline
transitions,” IEE Proc.-Microw. Antennas
Propag., Vol. 147, pp.412-416, Oct. 2000
[8] R.N. Simons and R.Q. Lee, “New
techniques for exciting linearly tapered slot
antennas with coplanar waveguide,” IEE
Electronics Lett., Vol. 28, pp.620-621, Mar.
1992
[9] P. Knott and A. Bell, “Coaxially fed
tapered tapered slot antenna”, IEE
Electronics Lett., Vol. 37, pp.1103-1104,
Aug. 2001
[10] K.H. Chung, S.H. Pyun, S.Y. Chung,
and J.H. Choi, “Design of a wideband TEM
horn antenna”, IEEE Antennas and
Propagation Society International
Symposium, pp. 229-232, June 2003
[11] K.H. Chung, S.H. Pyun, S.Y. Chung,
and J.H. Choi, “The design of a wideband
TEM horn antenna with a microstrip-type
balun”, IEEE Antennas and Propagation
Society International Symposium, pp.
1899-1902, June 2004
[12] L. Chung, T. Chang, and W.D.
Bumside, “An ultrawide-bandwidth tapered
resistive TEM horn antenna”, IEEE
Transactions on Antennas and Propagation,
Vol. 48, pp.1848-1857, Dec. 2000
[13] R.T. Lee and G.S. Smith, “On the
Characteristic impedance of the TEM horn
antenna”, IEEE Transactions on Antennas
and Propagation, Vol. 52, pp.315-318, Jan.
2004
83 ISBN: 978-960-6766-84-8
 12th WSEAS International Conference on COMMUNICATIONS, Heraklion, Greece, July 23-25, 2008

[14] Ansoft User’s Guide, 2002 0

-5

-10

-15

Return Loss (dB)

-20

-25

-30 TEM Horn Antenna

-35

-40

-45

-50
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Frequency (GHz)

Fig.4 Measured data of return loss

Fig.1 Tapered parallel plate transmission
line 200

150

100

Input Impedance (Ohm)

50

-50
Resistance Reactance
-100

-150

-200
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Frequency (GHz)

Fig.2 Triangle-shape TEM horn antenna Fig.5 Measured data of input impedance

H-Plane

0
345 10 15
330 30
5
315 45
0
300 60
4GHz
-5
285 75
-10

270 -15 90 5GHz

255 105

6GHz
240 120

225 135
210 150
195 165
180

Fig.6 Measured data of gain pattern

Fig.3 Triangle-shape TEM horn antenna size

ISSN: 1790-5117 84 ISBN: 978-960-6766-84-8

View publication stats