NASA/CR—2000-210051

Suspended Rectangular/Circular Patch

Antennas With Electromagnetically
Coupled Inverted Microstrip Feed
for Dual Polarization/Frequency

Rainee N. Simons
Dynacs Engineering Company, Inc., Brook Park, Ohio

June 2000
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NASA/CR—2000-210051

Suspended Rectangular/Circular Patch

Antennas With Electromagnetically
Coupled Inverted Microstrip Feed
for Dual Polarization/Frequency

Rainee N. Simons
Dynacs Engineering Company, Inc., Brook Park, Ohio

Prepared for the

2000 International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and
USNC/URSI National Radio Science Meeting
sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Salt Lake City, Utah, July 16–21, 2000

Prepared under Contract NAS3–98008

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

June 2000
 Acknowledgments

This work was performed under the task High Performance Printed Antennas and funded by the Cross Enterprise
Technology Development Program (CETDP) in code SM.

This report is a preprint of a paper intended for presentation at a conference. Because

of changes that may be made before formal publication, this preprint is made
available with the understanding that it will not be cited or reproduced without the
permission of the author.

Available from
NASA Center for Aerospace Information National Technical Information Service
7121 Standard Drive 5285 Port Royal Road
Hanover, MD 21076 Springfield, VA 22100
Price Code: A02 Price Code: A02
 SUSPENDED RECTANGULAR/CIRCULAR PATCH
ANTENNAS WITH ELECTROMAGNETICALLY COUPLED
INVERTED MICROSTRIP FEED FOR DUAL
POLARIZATION/FREQUENCY
Rainee N. Simons
Dynacs Engineering Company, Inc.
2001 Aerospace Parkway
Brook Park, Ohio 44142
Tel (216) 433-3462 Fax (216) 433-8705
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: The paper demonstrates suspended rectangular and circular patch antennas
with elctromagnetically coupled inverted microstrip feed for linear as well as dual linear
polarization/frequency applications. The measured results include the return loss and the
impedance bandwidth of the antennas.

I. INTRODUCTION
Future space borne microwave/millimeter-wave systems for Earth observation
will require antennas which have high gain, high efficiency, low profile, light weight and
low cost. At millimeter-wave frequencies conventional microstrip lines suffer from high
conductor loss [1], [2]. The high conductor loss impacts the gain and the efficiency of an
array antenna with corporate feed. The conductor loss can be reduced by constructing the
feed network using low loss transmission media such as, inverted microstrip [1], [2],
suspended microstrip [3] and suspended substrate stripline [4]. A suspended patch
antenna excited by an electromagnetically coupled inverted microstrip feed at S-Band
frequency has been demonstrated in [5]. In this paper first, suspended rectangular and
also circular patch antennas with electromagnetically coupled inverted microstrip feed
for linear polarization is demonstrated at K-Band frequencies. Second, suspended
rectangular patch antenna and also circular patch antenna with segments removed for
dual linear polarization/frequency is demonstrated at Ku/K-Bands. These antennas have
two orthogonal inverted microstrip feeds and are electromagnetically coupled to the
patches. The advantages of the above feeding technique include significantly lower
attenuation and easier fabrication due to wider strip width for a given characteristic
impedance (Z0) [6]. The measured results include the return loss and the impedance
bandwidth of the antennas.

II. ANTENNA CONSTRUCTION

An inverted microstrip line consists of a thin dielectric substrate (RT/duroid
5880, εr = 2.22) of thickness h ( 0.01 inch) separated from a ground plane by an air gap of
height g (0.01 inch) as shown in Figure 1. The strip conductor of width Wi (≈ 0.045 inch
for Z0 = 50 Ω) is situated on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate facing the
ground plane. A schematic of a rectangular patch antenna electromagnetically coupled to
an inverted microstrip feed for linear polarization is shown in Figure 2. The length and
width of the patch are L and W respectively. The inset in Figure 2 shows a circular patch
antenna of radius r with similar excitation. The overlap between the patch antennas and
their feed line is indicated as S. Next, a rectangular patch antenna electro-magnetically
coupled to two inverted microstrip line feeds for dual linear polarization/frequency is
schematically illustrated in Figure 3. The inset in Figure 3 shows a circular patch antenna
with segments ∆r removed and with similar excitation. The overlap between the patch
antennas and their dual feeds are indicated as S1 and S2 respectively.

NASA/CR—2000-210051 1
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
The measured return loss of the rectangular and the circular patch antennas are
shown in Figures 4 and 5 respectively. The measurements show that the antennas are
very well matched to the 50 Ω feed lines and the –10.0 dB return loss bandwidths are
about 3.65 and 6.38 percent respectively at K-Band frequencies. Both antennas radiate
with a linear polarization parallel to the feed. The measured return loss of the rectangular
patch antenna with two orthogonal feeds for the vertical and horizontal polarizations are
shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b) respectively. The measurements show that the antennas
are very well matched to the 50 Ω feed lines and the –10.0 dB return loss bandwidth for
both polarizations is about 4.34 percent at Ku/K-Band frequencies. A similar set of
measurements for the circular patch antenna with the segments removed is shown in
Figures 7(a) and 7(b) respectively. The –10.0 dB return loss bandwidth is about
8.9 percent at K-Band frequencies. The radiation pattern measurements of the antennas
are in progress.

IV. CONCLUSIONS
The paper demonstrates a suspended rectangular and also circular patch antennas
with electromagnetically coupled inverted microstrip feed first, for linear polarization and
second, for dual linear polarizations/frequency operation at Ku/K-Band frequencies. The
measured results include the return loss and the impedance bandwidth of the antennas.

References
[1] T. Itoh, “Overview of Quasi-Planar Transmission Lines,” IEEE Trans. Microwave
Theory Tech., vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 275–280, February 1989.
[2] B.E. Spielman, “Dissipation Loss Effects in Isolated and Coupled Transmission
Lines,” IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech., vol. MTT-25, no. 8, pp. 648–656,
August 1977.
[3] J.M. Baracco and A. Carlstrom, “X-Band Microstrip Array Antenna in Suspended
Technology,” 1997 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Inter. Symp. Dig.,
vol. 2, pp. 1256–1259, 1997.
[4] E. Rammos, “A Low Tolerance Dual Slot Radiator for Space and Ground
Applications,” 1991 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Inter. Symp. Dig.,
vol. 3, pp. 1599–1602, 1991.
[5] Q. Zhang, Y. Fukuoka, and T. Itoh, “Analysis of a Suspended Patch Antenna
Excited by an Electromagnetically Coupled Inverted Microstrip Feed,” IEEE Trans.
Antennas and Propagation, vol. AP-33, no. 8, pp. 895–899, August 1985.
[6] J. Rivera and T. Itoh, “Analysis of an Electromagnetically Coupled Patch Antenna,”
1983 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Inter. Symp. Dig., vol. 1,
pp. 170–173, 1983.

Suspended rectangular or
Wi
⑀0 circular patch antenna
Suspended dielectric
h
substrate (⑀0⑀r)
g ⑀0

Inverted Ground plane

microstrip line (50 Ω )

Figure 1.—Cross-section showing a suspended patch antenna excited by an

inverted microstrip line feed.

NASA/CR—2000-210051 2
 Rectangular patch Circular patch antenna
antenna
Suspended r
dielectric s
substrate
L W

Feed
Ground S
plane

Inverted
microstrip
line (50 Ω )
Figure 2.—Schematic of a rectangular patch antenna electromagnetically
coupled to an inverted microstrip line feed for linear polarization. Inset
shows the geometry of a circular patch antenna for a similar experiment.
Dimensions in inches are rectangular: L = 0.206, W = 0.232, S = 0.083,
circular: r = 0.255, s = 0.145.

Rectangular patch Circular patch antenna

antenna with segments removed
Suspended ⌬r
dielectric r
substrate
L W
S1 S2
S1
Ground
plane S2

Inverted microstrip
Inverted microstrip
line (50 Ω ) (Port #1)
line (50 Ω ) (Port #2)

Figure 3.—Schematic of a rectangular patch antenna electromagnetically coupled

to two inverted microstrip line feeds for dual linear polarization and frequency.
Inset shows the geometry of a circular patch antenna with segments removed
for a similar experiment. Dimensions in inches are rectangular: L = 0.225,
W = 0.2685, S1 = 0.097, S2 = 0.094, circular: r = 0.255, ⌬r = 0.0125, S1 = 0.0325,
S2 = 0.013.

NASA/CR—2000-210051 3
 0
Return loss, S11, dB

Return loss, S11, dB

–10 –10

–20 –20
22.728 GHz 19.997 GHz
–30 –30
18.0 19.7 21.4 23.1 24.8 26.5 18.0 19.7 21.4 23.1 24.8 26.5
Frequency, GHz Frequency, GHz
Figure 4.—Measured return loss of the rec- Figure 5.—Measured return loss of the
tangular patch antenna with single feed. circular patch antenna with single feed.
Return loss, dB

Return loss, dB

0 0
S11 S11
–10 (Port #1) –10 (Port #1)
19.925 GHz 18.956 GHz
(a) (a)
–20 –20
12.40 15.22 18.04 20.86 23.68 26.50 12.40 15.22 18.04 20.86 23.68 26.50
Frequency, GHz Frequency, GHz

0 0
Return loss, dB
Return loss, dB

–10
0 S22 –10
0
(Port #2) S22
–20 (Port #2)
–20
17.035 GHz 19.784 GHz
(b) (b)
–30 –30
12.40 15.22 18.04 20.86 23.68 26.50 12.40 15.22 18.04 20.86 23.68 26.50
Frequency, GHz Frequency, GHz
Figure 6.—Measured return loss of the Figure 7.—Measured return loss of the circular
rectangular patch antenna with two patch antenna with segments removed and
orthogonal feeds. (a) Vertical polarization. with two orthogonal feeds. (a) Vertical polari-
(b) Horizontal polarization. zation. (b) Horizontal polarization.

NASA/CR—2000-210051 4
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4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS

Suspended Rectangular/Circular Patch Antennas With Electromagnetically

Coupled Inverted Microstrip Feed for Dual Polarization/Frequency WU–632–6E–51–00
6. AUTHOR(S) NAS3–98008

Rainee N. Simons

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

REPORT NUMBER
Dynacs Engineering Company, Inc.
2001 Aerospace Parkway E–12075
Brook Park, Ohio 44142

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING

AGENCY REPORT NUMBER
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field NASA CR—2000-210051
Cleveland, Ohio 44135–3191

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

Prepared for the 2000 International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and USNC/URSI National Radio Science
Meeting sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Salt Lake City, Utah, July 16–21, 2000.
Project Manager, Dennis Vano, Systems Engineering Division, NASA Glenn Research Center, organization code 7830,
(216) 433–2730.
12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE

Unclassified - Unlimited
Subject Category: 33 Distribution: Nonstandard

This publication is available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information, (301) 621–0390.
13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

The paper demonstrates suspended rectangular and circular patch antennas with electromagnetically coupled inverted
microstrip feed for linear as well as dual linear polarization/frequency applications. The measured results include the
return loss and the impedance bandwidth of the antennas.

14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES

Suspended patch antenna; Inverted microstrip; Array antenna; 10
Dual polarization; Suspended substrate stripline 16. PRICE CODE
A02
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OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT
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