A novel approach for the control of wave propagation in electromagnetic band-gap structures

Electromagnetic band gap structures (EBG) have promising applications in a significant number of wideband circuit devices. Traditionally, the wave propagation in EBG structures are controlled by varying their structural parameters, which may encounter design difficulties especially when there are constraints on physical size. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed to control the stopband of the EBG structure in terms of its center frequency, bandwidth, and attenuation solely by changing the dielectric material used as the substrate. The significant effects of substrate materials on the behavior of EBG structures are systematically studied and reported for the first time. This approach increases the design flexibility of EBG structures to an extent that was previously impossible and is promising for future application and development.