Exciting technique for MSA array by using single patch with surrounded metallic plate

This paper presents the study of new technique for exciting the 4×4 rectangular microstrip patches antenna (MSA) array by using a single patch, which is surrounded with metallic plate. The objective of this research is to explore the new technique for exciting any microstrip array instead of the conventional phasing line that have energy loss and narrow bandwidth occurred inside it. From many literatures, we found that the single patch of rectangular MSA can directly excite to them and reradiated to the free-space. However, if this patch is surrounded by metallic plate on the same layer, its gain can be increased more than using only single patch excited it. The exciting patch with surrounded metallic plate has been designed by using general PCB, which has the dielectric constant, equals to 2.2. While the 4×4 MSA array is designed by using FR4-PCB with dielectric constant equals to 4.4. The substrate thicknesses of both types of PCB are 1.6 mm. From the simulated results by using the licensed Computer Simulation Technology (CST) software, we found that the gain of antenna can be raised up from 11.68 dB (without metallic surrounded plate) to 13.42 dB at 10 GHz operating frequency. However, the required radiation patterns of MSA array antenna can be adjusted by using the general theoretical technique.