P. de Maagt

Enhanced patch-antenna performance by suppressing surface waves using photonic-bandgap substrates

The microstrip patch antenna is a low-profile robust planar structure. A wide range of radiation patterns can be achieved with this type of antenna and, due to the ease of manufacture, is inexpensive compared with other types of antennas. However, patch-antenna designs have some limitations such as restricted bandwidth of operation, low gain, and a potential decrease in radiation efficiency due to surface-wave losses. In this paper, a photonic-bandgap (PBG) substrate for patch antennas is proposed, which minimizes the surface-wave effects. In order to verify the performance of this kind of substrate, a configuration with a thick substrate is analyzed. The PBG patch antenna shows significantly reduced levels of surface modes compared to conventional patch antennas, thus improving the gain and far-field radiation pattern.

Thin AMC Structure for Radar Cross-Section Reduction

A thin artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) structure is designed and breadboarded for radar cross-section (RCS) Reduction applications. The design presented in this paper shows the advantage of geometrical simplicity while simultaneously reducing the overall thickness (for the current design ). The design is very pragmatic and is based on a combination of AMC and perfect electric conductor (PEC) cells in a chessboard like configuration. An array of Sievenpipers mushrooms constitutes the AMC part, while the PEC part is formed by full metallic patches. Around the operational frequency of the AMC-elements, the reflection of the AMC and PEC have opposite phase, so for any normal incident plane wave the reflections cancel out, thus reducing the RCS. The same applies to specular reflections for off-normal incidence angles. A simple basic model has been implemented in order to verify the behavior of this structure, while Ansoft-HFSS software has been used to provide a more thorough analysis. Both bistatic and monostatic measurements have been performed to validate the approach.

Electromagnetic bandgap antennas and components for microwave and (Sub)millimeter wave applications

This paper reviews the primary application areas of electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) technology at microwave and (sub)millimeter wave frequencies. Examples of EBG configurations in the microwave region include array antennas, high precision GPS, mobile telephony, wearable antennas and diplexing antennas. In the submillimeter wave region a 500 GHz dipole configuration and a novel heterodyne mixer is shown for the first time. Some emphasis is also placed on EBG waveguides and filters. As most fundamental components will be available in EBG technology, a fully integrated receiver could be developed in order to take full advantage of this technology. True integration of passive and active components can now begin to materialise using EBG technology.

High-impedance surfaces having stable resonance with respect to polarization and incidence angle

The work presented in this paper concerns a theoretical study on frequency selective surfaces (FSS) with application to artificial magnetic conductors or high-impedance surfaces (HIS). Current realizations of HIS are based on a planar FSS at the interface of a metal-backed dielectric slab either including vertical vias or not. A stable resonance was found for the case of series-resonance grids without vias in the slab. The resonance turns out to be unique in theory for all angles of incidence and both polarizations of plane waves illuminating the HIS. It was shown that vias destroy the stabilization effect and introduce a frequency shift. The analytical model was validated by HFSS simulations.

Measurement of the dielectric constant and loss tangent of high dielectric-constant materials at terahertz frequencies

Low-loss high dielectric-constant materials are analyzed in the terahertz frequency range using time-domain spectroscopy. The dielectric constant and loss tangent for steatite, alumina, titania loaded polystyrene, and zirconium-tin-titanate are presented and compared to measurements on high-resistivity silicon. For these materials, the real part of the dielectric constant ranges from 6 to 90. All of the samples were found to have reasonable low-loss tangents. Applications as photonic crystal substrates for terahertz frequency antenna are envisaged.

Wearable Circularly Polarized Antenna for Personal Satellite Communication and Navigation

Integrating antennas into fabrics is a potential way for facilitating many applications, such as health monitoring of patients, fire-fighting, rescue work, and space and military personal communications. This paper studies possibilities to construct a flexible, lightweight and mechanically robust textile antenna for dual-band satellite use: Iridium and GPS. Different textile materials were characterized and the most promising materials were used to design, construct, and test a rectangular patch antenna. The gain and axial ratio for both bands is compliant with specifications and relatively stable under most bending conditions. The developed antenna solution allows integration into clothing.

Low Profile GALILEO Antenna Using EBG Technology

A dedicated low profile antenna for geodesic applications is presented. This type of antenna requires mitigation of multipath signals to achieve sub-centimeter level of precision. Typically, bulky and heavy choke ring structures have been used to reduce the effects of multipath interference. The antenna presented here consists of a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) patch antenna immersed in an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) substrate. The EBG substrate reduces the effects of multipath by blocking the propagation of surface waves. The result is an antenna showing good multipath rejection and a stable phase center. The advantage of printed EBG substrates is that they can be realized in a low-weight, low-price, and low-profile fashion. First prototypes have been manufactured and tested, and its performance has been compared to that of a more classical choke ring antenna.

Design and Manufacturing of Robust Textile Antennas for Harsh Environments

Antennas made out of textile materials suffer from performance perturbing effects whose impact mainly depend on the mechanical properties of the fabrics. The soft and flexible nature of the fabrics is essential for user comfort in wearable systems, but makes the antenna performance sensitive to bending, stretching, compression, and the manufacturing process. Furthermore, water absorption into the woven textile structures can increase both the permittivity and the dielectric loss of the substrate materials. The potential performance reduction due to the material characteristics is addressed in this paper, and methods to improve performance robustness are introduced. Tests show that the use of a textile cover provides a rugged design which is insensitive to the effects of abrasion, saline water and varying climatic conditions. A dual frequency textile antenna is thoroughly tested and shown to be fully compliant with Iridium and GPS specifications.

AMC Low Profile Wideband Reference Antenna for GPS and GALILEO Systems

Satellite positioning systems, like GPS and Galileo, require ground reference antennas with high quality radiation performance. The use of a radiator integrated with an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) appears attractive in order to obtain an antenna with low back radiation and good axial ratio performance near the horizon, which is essential for the considered applications. The presented crossed-dipole antenna integrated on a wideband AMC has a simple feed network consisting mainly of a self balanced feed. It also has a low mechanical profile and is simple to manufacture as a multilayer printed circuit board. Detailed numerical analyses and measurements are presented which clearly demonstrate its potential as a ground reference antenna.

Temperature dependence of the permittivity and loss tangent of high-permittivity materials at terahertz frequencies

An analysis including the temperature dependence of the permittivity and loss tangent of three low-cost and high-permittivity materials (zirconium-tin-titanate, alumina, and titanium-dioxide) in the terahertz frequency range is presented. Such dielectric materials find varied applications in microwave and terahertz systems and components. Their effective use under varying environmental conditions or in space applications requires a detailed knowledge about temperature dependencies. Here, measurements using broad-band terahertz time-domain spectroscopy are presented in the temperature range from 10 to 323 K. It is shown that zirconium-tin-titanate and alumina provide a good thermal stability of the permittivity, whereas the permittivity of titanium-dioxide exhibits a strong dependence on the temperature.