Design, Simulation and Experimental Analysis of Square Microstrip Patch Antenna with Superstrates at 2.4GHz

Abstract

Microstrip antenna is used in wide area of applications such as high speed vehicles, missiles, tanks and satellite communications. In these applications dielectric superstrate (or cover) is used above the square patch antenna for providing the protections from severe environmental conditions such as rain, snow, heat, and damage etc. The proposed square microstrip patch antenna is designed using coaxial probe feed technique and transmission line model and operated at center frequency of 2.40 GHz, which is lying in the S-band region. The proposed model is used in linear polarization applications. The square patch is fabricated on low loss dielectric substrate material having dielectric constant is 2.2 and loss tangent of the substrate material is 0.0009. Ansoft electromagnetic simulator software such as HFSS is used for simulating proposed model and studied the effect cover or superstrate on different parameters of square patch antenna. This paper mainly focuses on the performance of square patch antenna without superstrate, and with superstrate at different height of dielectric superstrate above the patch antenna. The result found of patch antenna without superstrate the bandwidth is 0.04GHz and gain is obtained 8.9 dB and 7.51 dB in azimuth and elevation respectively. The result observed of patch antenna with dielectric cover (or superstrate) at height H =0, the antenna performance characteristics are slightly degraded and also comparing the antenna with the bandwidth is decreased to 0.02GHz from 0.04 GHz and gain is decreases to 6.44 dB and 6.6 dB from 8.9 dB and 7.51 dB in both azimuth and elevation plane respectively. The decreased performance characteristics of antenna will be improved by varying height of the superstrate above the patch antenna.. At particular optimum height, the performance characteristics patch antenna will be almost same as the patch antenna without superstrates. The obtained simulated results good match with measurement results.