Performance of microstrip patches incorporating a single shorting post

A thorough examination of the probe-fed circular patch incorporating a single shorting post is presented. The design methodology is summarized and comparisons with conventional probe-fed circular microstrip patches are presented. The two comparisons made are with patches designed with the same substrate, and thus considerably larger, as well as circular patches of the same size as the shorted patch. To achieve the latter comparison, the dielectric constant of the substrate for the conventional patches was significantly increased to reduce the overall size. This latter comparison is probably the most appropriate for applications where size is of primary concern. Finally, the performance trends of the shorted probe-fed microstrip circular patch are presented, illustrating the effects of substrate parameters on the overall characteristics of these antennas.