Planar Microstrip Patch Antenna Array with Gain Enhancement

Abstract

This paper compares the performance of two element microstrip antenna array using two different Defective Ground Structures and one Electromagnetic Band Gap structure. The conventional microstrip antenna array is resonating at 5.53 GHz and producing bandwidth and mutual coupling equal to 2.35 % and -17.83 dB. The first proposed antenna array is producing bandwidth and mutual coupling equal to 66.60 % and -35.66 dB, whereas the second proposed antenna array is producing bandwidth and mutual coupling equal to 63.27 % and -32.81 dB respectively. The first and second proposed microstrip antenna arrays are giving enhanced gains of 12.41 and 10.11 dB respectively as compared to 5.06 dB of conventional microstrip antenna array. Both the proposed antenna arrays are yielding good reduction in back lobe reduction. The first proposed antenna array is a better antenna compared to the second proposed antenna array. The dielectric substrate employed is FR-4 glass epoxy with a dielectric constant of 4.2 and loss tangent of 0.0245. The microstrip antenna arrays are designed using Mentor Graphics IE3D software.