Harmonic-Tuned Patch Active Integrated Antenna for a High-Efficiency Ku-Band Transmitter

Design strategies are presented for harmonic-tuned active integrated antennas based on the use of microstrip patches and compact photonic bandgap filters. The synthesis of optimal values for the antenna input impedance at the fundamental, second, and third harmonic frequencies is achieved perturbing either the geometry of the antenna or the geometry of the filter, on the basis of an ad-hoc unit-cell characterization. Numerical simulations of input impedance and radiation properties are provided on two examples to validate the proposed approaches.