Impulse response of Vivaldi antenna using cubic-spline and exponential taper profiles for compact ground penetrating radar applications

The measured impulse responses of Vivaldi tapered slot antennas employing conventional exponential and cubic-spline taper profiles are presented and compared. The method used to design the tapers is based on a Chebyshev impedance transformer given in which minimizes reflection. A brief presentation is given for this design method and the profile of the tapers. Then, the experimental results and analysis of impulse response of antennas are provided. Finally, peak values of the impulse responses of the antennas are compared to the theoretical maximum achievable values and are shown to be quite close to this fundamental limit.