Author_Institution :
State Key Lab. on Microwave & Digital Commun., Tsinghua Univ., Beijing, China
Abstract :
Microstrip antenna arrays have found broad applications in recent years, while the mutual coupling between array elements can cause various degrees of degradation in their performance. Different techniques have been carried out to solve the problem such as removing part of the dielectric materials or ground plane between adjacent elements, or inserting electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures into the space between them (F. Yang and Y. Rahmat-Samii, IEEE AP-s Dig. vol. 2, pp. 478-481, 2001). A novel EBG structure has been developed in this paper. Using the method of moments, a simple two-element patch array with and without the EBG structure has been simulated. It has been demonstrated that the EBG structure can reduce the mutual coupling due to surface waves, and the performance of the array has been improved. Also, a comparison has been carried out between the new structure, the UC-EBG structure (R. Coccioli et al., IEEE Trans. MTT vol. 47, no. 11, 1999), and the patch-via-EBG structure (D. Sievenpiper et al, ibid., vol. 47, no. 11, 1999). The advantages of the new structure over the others have been proved.
Keywords :
antenna radiation patterns; electromagnetic coupling; energy gap; method of moments; microstrip antenna arrays; surface electromagnetic waves; 2D electromagnetic band-gap structure; EBG structures; UC-EBG structure; array elements; dielectric materials; ground plane; method of moments; microstrip antenna arrays; mutual coupling; patch-via-EBG structure; performance degradation; simulation; surface waves; two-element patch array; Antenna arrays; Degradation; Dielectric materials; Metamaterials; Microstrip antenna arrays; Microstrip antennas; Moment methods; Mutual coupling; Periodic structures; Surface waves;
