Broadband microstrip antenna using epsilon near zero metamaterials

Abstract

In this study, the effect of loading microstrip antenna using epsilon near zero (ENZ) metamaterial is investigated. It is known that ENZ material may help to improve the transmission through a boundary condition and that the scattering parameters may be completely independent of such boundary properties. This idea is demonstrated to significantly increase the bandwidth of a simple rectangular microstrip patch antenna. To realise the ENZ material, a periodic wire medium is designed, simulated, fabricated, and tested. Simulation results based on CST Microwave studio have good agreement with measurements.