A dielectric resonator antenna based on high dielectric constant composites for high power UHF antenna applications

Dielectric resonator antennas incorporating newly developed high dielectric constant composite materials have been investigated as compact high power antennas for UHF operation. The dimensions of dielectric resonators can generally be reduced by the inverse of the square root of the dielectric constant. Through this fundamental relationship, compact and low profile designs are possible with significantly lower volume and weight requirements than traditional antennas. By combining the benefits of the composite materials´ high dielectric constants and their ability to be manufactured to the required size and shape of the resonator geometry, the frequency range of solid dielectric resonator antennas can be reduced below the conventional bands of operation. The resonators are coupled with a microstrip feed, enabling the antenna input impedance and operating voltage to be designed through the microstrip parameters. This paper provides an analysis of the use of high dielectric constant composite materials in microstrip-coupled dielectric resonator antennas, and the potential for high power operation at frequencies below 1 GHz is discussed. An overview of the design of a high power dielectric resonator antenna incorporating high dielectric constant composite materials developed at the University of Missouri is given along with simulation and experimental data on its performance.