Printed Antennas
Printed Antennas
This type of antenna is popular for applications requiring:
- Planar antennas.
- Efficient radiators.
- Arrays for low or medium directivity.
- 2 GHz upwards.
- Lightweight, simple construction and cost effectiveness.
The communications group has facilities for complete prototyping of printed antennas of almost any geometry. Popular designs include ISM band arrays (medium gain antennas at 2.45 GHz and also 5.85 GHz). A 12 element 2.45 GHz uniform array is shown below, which offers 12 dBi of gain.
Overall dimensions are 300 x 200 mm. The substrate used is a low-loss microwave laminate of thickness 0.79 mm and dielectric constant 3.2 The radiation patterns are fully characterised.
Other printed antennas are in current use on Communications Group projects, such as low gain patches for propagation studies at 2.5 and 5.8 GHz, and medium gain arrays for communications links using Radar Transponders at 9.4 GHz. (Link to X-band antenna)
Antenna Radiation Patterns
Plot of H-plane radiation pattern of printed array antenna showing relative gain as a function of angle-measured (Red), theory (Blue)
