The analysis of wideband conformal microstrip array antenna with cosecant-squared beam shaping

The characteristics of new ultra wideband (UWB) like fractal microstrip patch antenna element and 24×10 elements wideband conformal microstrip array antenna using non-uniform photonic bandgap (PBG) substrate structure whose gap positions enhance some modes and weaken others have been analyzed using a full 3D electromagnetic field inside a structure based on the finite element method (FEM). The cosec² elevation beam shape is ideal for the detection of small and large targets at both short and long range, including where the antenna is mounted on a high tower or hillside. The array antenna has wideband approximately in range of 5 GHz to 10 GHz and radar cross section (RCS) up to 0.00001 meter square for some frequencies and high gain up to 44 dB depend on the operating frequency. The proposed antenna element is constructed on ground plane of thickness 0.1 mm and FR-4 glass epoxy substrate of thickness 1.6 mm with relative permittivity 4.4. The radiation characteristics for the designed antenna element and array antenna such as return loss, input impedance, near field, gain, RCS, 3D-polar and E-plane radiation patterns are obtained using numerical simulations.