Microstrip Antenna

Microstrip Antenna

In microstrip antenna (MSA) there is a dielectric in between a top metallic patch and a bottom ground plane. Input to MSA is generally provided using a coaxial probe or by using a microstrip edge feed. Usually the top metallic patch is shaped rectangular and circular. However, depending on application requirement patch shapes other than rectangular and circular are used to achieve desired MSA performance.

Advantages: low profile, simple and inexpensive to manufacture, conformable, mechanically robust, and very versatile.

Disadvantages: MSApower handling capacity is low, having low efficiency, high quality factor, narrow bandwidth, lacks polarization purity, spurious radiation.

There are several microstrip antenna analysis methods. The most accepted models are:

• 1.

  Transmission line model

• 2.

  Cavity model

• 3.

  Method of moments

• 4.

  FDTD method

• 5.

  Finite Element method

The transmission line model is the simplest of these methods. Both transmission line model and cavity model furnishes good physical insight but it is difficult to model coupling. Compared to the transmission-line model, cavity model is more accurate but is more complex. Whereas full-wave models including primarily integral equations, Method of Moments are more accurate and versatile at the cost of increased complexity in modeling and less physical insight. These models could be used to analyze regular or arbitrary shaped element, stacked elements and arrays of elements.