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Design of an X-Band Microstrip Array Antenna For Circular Polarization

Conference Paper · December 2014

DOI: 10.1109/ICECE.2014.7026891

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 8th International Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering 184
20-22 December, 2014, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Design of an X-Band Microstrip Array Antenna

For Circular Polarization

Muhammad Asad Rahman, Quazi Delwar Hossain, Eisuke Nishiyama, Ichihiko Toyoda
Md. Azad Hossain Saga University,
Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, 1 Honjo-machi, Saga-shi, Saga 840-8502, Japan
Chittagong-4349, Bangladesh [email protected], [email protected]
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract – In this paper, the design of a circularly polarized Circularly polarized antenna with a cross slot of unequal arm
array antenna with 9.56 dBi of gain at 10 GHz frequency is lengths using single feed has been demonstrated in [10], [11].
presented. The proposed antenna consists of a 2×2 array antenna The excited patch surface current path is lengthened due to
with feed network where all microstrip patches are linearly slot perturbation that splits the dominant resonant mode of the
polarized. “Both-Sided MIC Technology” is used to design the microstrip patch into two orthogonal near degenerated modes.
proposed array antenna. The simulated return loss of the The two near degenerate orthogonal resonant modes can have
proposed array antenna is less than -35dB. The 3 dB axial ratio equal amplitudes and a 90° phase differenceby selecting the
bandwidth of 2.21% is obtained. The unequal feed line is used in
proper slot length and the patch at a suitable position; as a
order to realize 90° phase difference between the linearly
result CP radiation can be achieved. Applying same concept,
polarized patches. Therefore, the circular polarization is realized
Y-shaped slot in antenna can also be used for CP radiation
by the combination of linearly polarized patches and unequal
feed line. The structure and the basic behavior along with the [12]. By inserting slits or spur lines to the boundary of a
simulation results of the proposed linearly polarized array microstrip patch, CP radiation can be achieved [13], [14]. A
antenna are demonstrated in this paper. circularly polarized equilateral-triangular-ring microstrip
antenna design has been reported with a truncated tip and a Y-
Keywords-- circular polarization; patch antenna; array shaped conducting strip [15]. Tuning stub or a bent tuning stub
antenna; axial ratio; Both-Sided MIC technology can be an effective way to excite circular polarization due to
the frequency tuning capability of the tuning stub. This design
concept has been successfully applied to a circular patch [16],
I. INTRODUCTION [17], a square-ring patch [18], and a triangular patch [19].
Microstrip array antennas are used in a large number of Use of an external power divider such as the quadrature
microwave communication applications due to the attractive hybrid, the ring hybrid, the Wilkinson power divider and the
features of low profile, light weight, easy fabrication, and T-junction [20] to excite single square or circular patch can be
conformability to mounting hosts [1-3]. Linear polarization is another way to radiate circularly polarized waves. In this
very simple to generate but circular polarization (CP) is configuration the dual-orthogonal feeds excite two orthogonal
widely used in many microwave application as it exhibits modes with equal amplitude but in-phase quadrature.
multiple benefits over linear polarization. As circular
polarization avoids polarization losses due to misalignment, A circularly polarized array can be configured using
there is no need to keep the transmitting and receiving antenna circularly polarized microstrip patches with appropriate
in the same alignment. This property is useful for RFID feeding [20]. Arrays of linearly polarized patches can be used
systems [4]. It has the ability to decrease interference between for circular polarized radiation [21], [22]. Array of two
direct and reflected signal due to multipath propagation [5] linearly polarized antennas will radiate circularly if the
and this is of huge benefit for navigation systems, especially patches are placed orthogonally with one of the patches being
satellite based. Circular polarization is also immune to fed 90° out of phase. A method has been presented in [22] for
Faraday rotation. This is the main reason for using CP in generating circularly polarized radiation from an array
almost all Earth–satellite communication systems [6]. composed of linearly polarized elements having unique
angular and phase arrangements.
Two orthogonal field components with equal amplitudes
and 90° phase difference are needed to radiate circular In this paper a circularly polarized array antenna is
polarized waves [7]. Many CP antenna design techniques have proposed using Both-Sided MIC technology [23] where
been developed. The method of producing single-feed CP circular polarization is achieved having a 2×2 array composed
operation using a square microstrip antenna by truncating a of single feed linearly polarized patches. The patches are
pair of patch corners [8]or a single-fed equilateral-triangular arranged in such a way that the resultant array radiation is
microstrip antenna with a truncated tip [9] have been reported. circularly polarized. The feed network is designed using both

978-1-4799-4166-7/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE

 185

mirostrip lines and slot line instead of using only micostrip greater than that of lower patch elements. This strategy creates
lines that reduces the problem of step by step impedance 90° phase shift between upper patches and lower patches to
matching and provides a simple circuit configuration. The excite circular polarized waves. For proper matching between
proposed antenna provides a gain of 9.56 dBi at design the each patch and slot-microstrip branch circuit, 136 ohm
frequency. quarter-wavelength transmission lines are used as impedance
transformers.
II. ARRAY ANTENNA DEVELOPMENTS
A. Configuration of Array 136 Ω
Fig. 1 shows the complete layout of proposed array
λ/4
antenna. Its configuration consists of radiating square patches λ/4
50 Ω
λ/4
with a special feed network on one side of the dielectric
substrate which has a ground plane on the reverse side. 100 Ω

The feed network shown in Fig. 2 is composed of

microstrip lines on the obverse side and a slot line on the
reverse side of the substrate. Two types of branch circuits are
used in this feed network and they are the microstrip-slot
branch circuit and the slot-microstrip branch circuit. The 50 Ω
microstrip-slot branch circuit is connected in parallel and slot
line impedance has to be double than microstrip line for
proper impedance matching. In this case two output signals at
the equal distance point from the branch point on the slot line
are of same amplitude and in phase [24], [25].
Moreover, there are two slot-microstrip branches at the
two opposite end of slot line. In this case slot-microstrip
branch circuit is series coupled and the condition for Feeding point
impedance matching is impedance of microstrip line has to be Fig. 2. Basic configuration of feed line network
half than that of slot line. Due to the series coupling, two
output signals at the equal distance point from the branch Teflon glass fiber substrate with a thickness of 0.8 mm and
point on the microstrip line are of same amplitude and 180°out dielectric constant of 2.15 is used to design the proposed
of phase. The impedance of the slot line in this design is to be array. Copper with a thickness of 0.018 mm is used as
chosen as 100 ohm and the microstrip line impedance is 50 radiating plane and ground plane conductor.
ohm.

Patch antenna Patch #1 Patch #2

Microstrip line

L+λ/4

L
Slot line

Patch #3 Patch #4

Fig. 1. Layout of proposed array antenna Fig. 3. Basic behavior of the array antenna

The design frequency of the each patch antenna used in B. Basic Behavior of the Array
array is 10 GHz. Each side of square patches is 9.46 mm. To generate circular polarized waves, two orthogonal
Upper two patch elements are placed at 90° angle with respect signals of equal amplitude with 90° phase shift between them
to other two lower patch elements. Positional distance of are needed. The basic behavior of the proposed circularly
upper patch elements from slot line is determined in such a polarized array antenna can be explained using Fig. 3. When
way that the feed line length is quarter wave length (λ\4) the patch #1 and the patch #2 are 0° linearly polarized, the
 186

patch#3 and the patch #4 are 90° linearly polarized. The simulated return loss of the array antenna is shown in
Combining the signals of patch #1, #3 and patch #2, #4, the Fig. 4. The result indicates that the return loss is better than
modes are orthogonal. -10dB from 9.6 to 10.32 GHz (7.23%). It is the lowest at near
of the design frequency of 10 GHz and excellent impedance
Moreover the length of feed lines is adjusted such a way matching is obtained.
that there is a 90º phase shift between patch #1 and #3, and
patch #2 and #4. Therefore, in the proposed array structure, The Input impedance for the array is shown in Fig. 5. The
two orthogonal signals are formed with 90° phase shift and as figure shows a dip in the impedance locus near 10 GHz, which
a result circular polarized signal is excited. indicates that two resonant modes are excited at very close
frequencies. This suggests that the fundamental mode in the
present design is split into two near-degenerate resonant
III. SIMULATION RESULTS OF ARRAY ANTENNA modes [26]. It can be found that, when upper patch elements
Advanced Design System (ADS) of Agilent Corporation are ahead by quarter wave length from lower patches, these
has been used to simulate and optimize the proposed circularly two resonant modes can be excited with equal amplitudes and
polarized array antenna. a 90° phase difference, resulting in circular polarized
radiation.

Fig. 6. Axial ratio of the antenna array

Simulated result for the axial ratio is shown in Fig. 6. This

Fig. 4.Input return loss of the array result provides a good axial ratio smaller than 3 dB at the
design frequency and it indicates that the proper circular
polarization is achieved. The 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth of the
designed array antenna is 0.22GHz or about 2.21% respect to
the center frequency of 9.95 GHz and the minimum value of
axial ratio is 0.344 dB at 9.97 GHz.

Fig. 7. Array antenna gain

Fig. 7 shows the gain of the array. It is found that from

Fig. 7, the peak gain is 9.56 dBi at 9.92 GHz which is much
higher than the average 2×2 circularly polarized array antenna
where each patch element is linearly polarized. The average
gain from 9.6 to 10.3 GHz is above 8 dBi. Fig. 8 shows the
radiation pattern of the proposed array antenna. From fig. 8, it
is confirmed that the antenna radiation is right hand circularly
polarized (RHCP). The cross-polar level is better than -30 dB
Fig. 5. Input impedance for the array antenna
that indicates good radiation performance of the antenna.
 187

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ELHCP ERHCP Design Handbook, Artech House, London, pp. 493, 2001.
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