Aperture and Slot Antennas
Aperture and Slot Antennas
Aperture and Slot Antennas
1
Outline
• Introduction
• Review of basic antenna types
• Radiation pattern, gain, polarization
• Equivalent circuit & radiation efficiency
• Smart antennas
• Some theory
• Summary
2
Intended & unintended radiators
• Antennas intended to produce specified EM field
– Radiocommunication antennas; Measuring antennas; EM sensors,
probes; EM applicators (Industrial, Medical, Scientific)
• Radiators not intended to generate any EM field, but producing it
as an unintended side-effect
– Any conductor/ installation with varying electrical current (e.g.
electrical installation of vehicles)
– Any slot/ opening in the screen of a device/ cable carrying RF
current
– Any discontinuity in transmission medium (e.g. conducting
structures/ installations) irradiated by EM waves
– Stationary (e.g. antenna masts or power line wires); Time-varying (e.g.
windmill or helicopter propellers); Transient (e.g. aeroplanes, missiles)
3
Antenna purpose
• Transformation of a guided EM
wave in transmission line
Space wave (waveguide) into a freely
propagating EM wave in space (or
vice versa) with specified
directional characteristics
– Transformation from time-function in
one-dimensional space into time-
function in three dimensional space
– The specific form of the radiated wave
is defined by the antenna structure
and the environment
Guided wave
4
Antenna functions
• Transmission line
– Power transport medium - must avoid power
reflections, otherwise use matching devices
• Radiator
– Must radiate efficiently – must be of a size
comparable with the half-wavelength
• Resonator
– Unavoidable - for broadband applications
resonances must be attenuated
5
Monopole (dipole over plane)
High-Q Low-Q
Narrowband Broadband
Smooth
transition
region
Uniform wave
traveling
along the line
• If there is an inhomogeneity (obstacle) a reflected wave, standing wave, & higher field modes
appear
• With pure standing wave the energy is stored and oscillates from entirely electric to entirely
magnetic and back
• Model: a resonator with high Q = (energy stored) / (energy lost) per cycle, as in LC circuits
• Kraus p.2
6
Outline
• Introduction
• Review of basic antenna types
• Radiation pattern, gain, polarization
• Equivalent circuit & radiation efficiency
• Smart antennas
• Some theory
• Summary
7
Antennas for laptop applications
Source: D. Liu et al.: Developing integrated antenna subsystems for laptop computers; IBM J. RES. & DEV. VOL. 47 NO. 2/3 MARCH/MAY 2003 p. 355-367 8
• Patch and slot antennas
derived from printed-circuit and
micro-strip technologies
• Ceramic chip antennas are
typically helical or inverted-F
(INF) antennas, or variations of
these two types with high
dielectric loading to reduce the
antenna size
9
Slot & INF antennas
• Slot antenna: a slot is cut from a large (relative
to the slot length) metal plate.
• The center conductor of the feeding coaxial cable is
connected to one side of the slot, and the outside conductor
of the cable - to the other side of the slot.
• The slot length is some (/2) for the slot antenna
and (/4) long for the INF antenna.
• The slot and INF antennas behave similarly.
• The slot antenna can be considered as a loaded version of
the INF antenna. The load is a quarter-wavelength stub, i.e. a
narrowband device.
• When the feed point is moved to the short-circuited end of
the slot (or INF) antenna, the impedance decreases. When it
is moved to the slot center (or open end of the INF antenna),
the impedance increases
10
Example
double-layer printed Yagi antenna
Source: N Gregorieva
11
• Patch and slot antennas are
– Cheap and easy to fabricate and to mount
– Suited for integration
– Light and mechanically robust
– Have low cross-polarization
– Low-profile - widely used in antenna arrays
– spacecrafts, satellites, missiles, cars and other mobile
applications
12
Aperture-antenna
EM wave • Aperture antennas
derived from
Power density: waveguide technology
Power PFD [w/m2] (circular, rectangular)
absorbed: P [watt] • Can transfer high
A = A*PFD
Effective power (magnetrons,
aperture: A[m2]
klystrons)
• Above few GHz
Note: The aperture concept is applicable
also to wired antennas. For instance, • Will be explored
the max effective aperture of linear inprace during the
/2 wavelength dipole antenna is 2/8
school
13
Leaky-wave antennas
• Derived from millimeter-
wave guides (dielectric
guides, microstrip lines,
coplanar and slot lines).
• For frequencies > 30 GHz,
including infrared
• Subject of intensive study.
– Note: Periodical
discontinuities near the end
of the guide lead to
substantial radiation
leakage (radiation from the
dielectric surface).
2d
16
Paraboloidal reflectors
17
The largest radio telescopes
• Max Plank Institüt für Radioastronomie
radio telescope, Effelsberg (Germany),
100-m paraboloidal reflector
• The Green Bank Telescope (the National
Radio Astronomy Observatory) –
paraboloid of aperture 100 m
304.8-m
spherical
reflector
National
Astronomy and
Ionosphere
Center (USA),
Arecibo,
Puerto Rico
19
The Arecibo Radio Telescope
20
Lens antennas
22
Radiation pattern
• The radiation pattern of antenna is a representation
(pictorial or mathematical) of the distribution of the power
out-flowing (radiated) from the antenna (in the case of
transmitting antenna), or inflowing (received) to the
antenna (in the case of receiving antenna) as a function
of direction angles from the antenna
• Antenna radiation pattern (antenna pattern):
– is defined for large distances from the antenna, where the spatial
(angular) distribution of the radiated power does not depend on the
distance from the radiation source
– is independent on the power flow direction: it is the same when the
antenna is used to transmit and when it is used to receive radio waves
– is usually different for different frequencies and different polarizations
of radio wave radiated/ received
23
Power pattern vs. Field pattern
Antenna Auxiliary • The power pattern is the
under test antenna measured (calculated)
Large distance and plotted received
power: |P(θ, ϕ)| at a
Power or constant (large) distance
Generator
field-strength meter from the antenna
• The amplitude field
Turntable pattern is the measured
(calculated) and plotted
• The power pattern and the field
electric (magnetic) field
patterns are inter-related: intensity, |E(θ, ϕ)| or |H(θ,
P(θ, ϕ) = (1/)*|E(θ, ϕ)|2 = *|H(θ, ϕ)|2 ϕ)| at a constant (large)
P = power distance from the antenna
E = electrical field component vector
H = magnetic field component vector
= 377 ohm (free-space, plane wave
impedance) 24
Normalized pattern
• Usually, the pattern describes the
normalized field (power) values with
respect to the maximum value.
– Note: The power pattern and the amplitude
field pattern are the same when computed
and when plotted in dB.
25
3-D pattern
• Antenna radiation
pattern is
3-dimensional
• The 3-D plot of antenna
pattern assumes both
angles θ and ϕ varying,
which is difficult to
produce and to interpret
3-D pattern
Source: NK Nikolova
26
2-D pattern
• Usually the antenna
pattern is presented as a
2-D plot, with only one of
the direction angles, θ or ϕ
varies
• It is an intersection of the
3-D one with a given plane
– usually it is a θ = const
plane or a ϕ= const plane
that contains the pattern’s
maximum
27
Example: a short dipole on z-
axis
Source: NK Nikolova
28
Principal patterns
Source: NK Nikolova
30
Antenna Mask (Example 1)
Typical relative
0
directivity- mask
-5 of receiving
Relative gain, dB
antenna (Yagi
-10
ant., TV dcm
-15 waves)
-20
0
60
120
180
-60
-180
-120
31
Antenna Mask (Example 2)
0
COPOLAR Phi
Relative gain (dB)
-20
-3dB
-30
-40
CROSSPOLAR
-50
0.1 1 10 100
Phi/Phi0
33
Directional antenna
• Directional antenna is an antenna, which
radiates (or receives) much more power in
(or from) some directions than in (or from)
others.
– Note: Usually, this term is applied to antennas
whose directivity is much higher than that of a
half-wavelength dipole.
Source: NK Nikolova
34
Omnidirectional antenna
• An antenna, which
has a non-
directional pattern
in a plane
– It is usually
directional in other
planes
Source: NK Nikolova
35
Pattern lobes
Pattern lobe is a
portion of the radiation
pattern with a local
maximum
Lobes are classified
as: major, minor,
side lobes, back
lobes.
Source: NK Nikolova
36
Pattern lobes and beam widths
Source: NK Nikolova
37
Beamwidth
• Half-power beamwidth (HPBW) is the angle
between two vectors from the pattern’s origin to
the points of the major lobe where the radiation
intensity is half its maximum
• Often used to describe the antenna resolution properties
» Important in radar technology, radioastronomy, etc.
38
Example
Source: NK Nikolova
39
Anisotropic sources: gain
• Every real antenna radiates more
energy in some directions than in
others (i.e. has directional properties)
• Idealized example of directional
antenna: the radiated energy is
Isotropic sphere concentrated in the yellow region
(cone).
• Directive antenna gain: the power flux
density is increased by (roughly) the
inverse ratio of the yellow area and the
total surface of the isotropic sphere
– Gain in the field intensity may also be
considered - it is equal to the square
root of the power gain.
40
Antenna gain measurement
Reference Measuring Actual Measuring
antenna equipment antenna equipment
Step 1: reference
Step 2: substitution
4
Aperture efficiency: a = Ae / A
A: physical area of antenna’s aperture, square meters
45
Power Transfer in Free Space
• : wavelength [m]
4 r 2
4
• GR: gain of the transmitting
antenna in the direction of
the receiving antenna
2
• GT: gain of the receiving
PT GT GR antenna in the direction of
4r the transmitting antenna
• Matched polarizations
46
e.i.r.p.
• Equivalent Isotropically Radiated
Power (in a given direction):
e.i.r. p. PGi
• The product of the power supplied to the
antenna and the antenna gain (relative
to an isotropic antenna) in a given
direction
47
Linear Polarization
• In a linearly polarized
plane wave the direction
of the E (or H) vector is
constant.
• http://www.amanogawa.com/archive/wavesA.h
tml
48
Elliptical Polarization
LHC
RHC
Ex = cos (wt) Ex = cos (wt)
Ey = -cos (wt+pi/4) Ey = sin (wt)
49
Polarization ellipse
Ex
• The superposition of
two plane-wave
M components results in
Ey an elliptically
polarized wave
• The polarization
ellipse is defined by
N its axial ratio N/M
(ellipticity), tilt angle
and sense of rotation
50
Polarization states
LHC
(Poincaré sphere)
UPPER HEMISPHERE:
ELLIPTIC POLARIZATION
LEFT_HANDED SENSE LATTITUDE:
REPRESENTS
AXIAL RATIO
EQUATOR:
LINEAR POLARIZATION
51
Comments on Polarization
• At any moment in a chosen reference point in
space, there is actually a single electric vector E
(and associated magnetic vector H).
• This is the result of superposition (addition) of
the instantaneous fields E (and H) produced by
all radiation sources active at the moment.
• The separation of fields by their wavelength,
polarization, or direction is the result of ‘filtration’.
52
Antenna Polarization
53
Polarization Efficiency
56
Transmitting antenna equivalent circuit
Antenna
57
Receiving antenna equivalent circuit
Antenna
Thevenin equivalent
62
Power transfer
1
• The maximum
power is delivered
to (or from) the
antenna when the
PA / PAmax
0.5
antenna
impedance and the
impedance of the
0
0.1 1 10 equivalent
RA / RG; (XA+XG = 0)
generator (or load)
are matched
63
• When the impedances are matched
– Half of the source power is delivered to the load and
half is dissipated within the (equivalent) generator as
heat
– In the case of receiving antenna, a part (Pl) of the
power captured is lost as heat in the antenna
elements, , the other part being reradiated (scattered)
back into space
• Even when the antenna losses tend to zero, still only half of
the power captured is delivered to the load (in the case of
conjugate matching), the other half being scattered back into
space
64
• When the antenna impedance is not matched to
the transmitter output impedance (or to the
receiver input impedance) or to the transmission
line between them, impedance-matching
devices must be used for maximum power
transfer
• Inexpensive impedance-matching devices are
usually narrow-band
• Transmission lines often have significant losses
65
Radiation efficiency
• The radiation efficiency e indicates how
efficiently the antenna uses the RF power
• It is the ratio of the power radiated by the
antenna and the total power delivered to
the antenna terminals (in transmitting
mode). In terms of equivalent circuit
parameters:
Rr
e
Rr Rl
66
Outline
• Introduction
• Review of basic antenna types
• Radiation pattern, gain, polarization
• Equivalent circuit & radiation efficiency
• Smart antennas
• Some theory
• Summary
67
Antenna arrays
• Consist of multiple (usually identical) antennas
(elements) ‘collaborating’ to synthesize radiation
characteristics not available with a single antenna. They
are able
– to match the radiation pattern to the desired coverage area
– to change the radiation pattern electronically (electronic
scanning) through the control of the phase and the amplitude of
the signal fed to each element
– to adapt to changing signal conditions
– to increase transmission capacity by better use of the radio
resources and reducing interference
• Complex & costly
– Intensive research related to military, space, etc. activities
» Smart antennas, signal-processing antennas, tracking antennas,
phased arrays, etc.
68
Satellite antennas (TV)
• Not an array!
69
Owens Valley Radio
Observatory
The Earth’s
atmosphere is
transparent in
the narrow
visible-light
window
(4000-7000
angstroms) and
the radio band
between 1 mm
and 10 m.
70
The New Mexico Very Large
Array
72
Phased Arrays
• Array of N antennas in a linear or two-
dimensional configuration + beam-forming
& control device
• The amplitude and phase excitation of each
individual antenna controlled electronically
(“software-defined”)
– Diode phase shifters
– Ferrite phase shifters
• Inertia-less beam-forming and scanning (sec)
with fixed physical structure
73
• Switched beam antennas
– Based on switching function between
separate directive antennas or
predefined beams of an array
• Space Division Multiple Access
(SDMA) = allocating an angle
direction sector to each user
– In a TDMA system, two users will be
allocated to the same time slot and
the same carrier frequency
– They will be differentiated by different
direction angles
74
• Dynamically phased array
(PA):
– A generalization of the
switched lobe concept
– The radiation pattern
continuously track the
designated signal (user)
– Include a direction of arrival
(DoA) tracking algorithm
75
Beam Steering
Beam direction • Beam-
steering
Equi-phase
using
wave front
phase
d shifters at
= [(2/)d sin]
each
Radiating
elements radiating
Phase element
3 2 0 shifters
Power
distribution
76
4-Bit Phase-Shifter (Example)
77
Switched-Line Phase Bit
Input Output
78
Simulation
0 0 0
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
-1 -1
-1
80
N omnidirectional antennas
2.5 6 10
9
5
2 8
7
4
Relative gain
6
Relative gain
1.5
Relative gain
3 5
1 4
2
3
0.5 2
1
1
0 0 0
-180 -90 0 90 180 -180 -90 0 90 180
-180 -90 0 90 180
Azimuth angle, degrees Azimuth angle, degrees
Azimuth angle, degrees
82
Adaptive (“Intelligent”)Antennas
• Array of N antennas in a linear,
circular, or planar configuration
• Used for selection signals from
desired sources and suppress
incident signals from undesired
sources
• The antenna pattern track the
sources
• It is then adjusted to null out the
interferers and to maximize the
signal to interference ratio (SIR)
• Able to receive and combine
constructively multipath signals
83
• The amplitude/ phase
excitation of each
antenna controlled
electronically 1
(“software-defined”) w1
• The weight-determining
algorithm uses a-priori
and/ or measured
information to adapt
antenna to changing wN
environment
• The weight and N
summing circuits can Weight-determining
operate at the RF and/
or at an intermediate algorithm
frequency
84
Antenna sitting
• Radio horizon
• Effects of obstacles & structures nearby
• Safety
– operating procedures
– Grounding
• lightning strikes
• static charges
– Surge protection
• lightning searches for a second path to ground
85
Outline
• Introduction
• Review of basic antenna types
• Radiation pattern, gain, polarization
• Equivalent circuit & radiation efficiency
• Smart antennas
• Some theory
• Summary
86
Maxwell’s Equations
• EM field interacting with the matter
– 2 coupled vectors E and H (6 numbers!), varying with time and
space and satisfying the boundary conditions
(see http://www.amanogawa.com/archive/docs/EM1.pdf;
http://www.amanogawa.com/archive/docs/EM7.pdf;
http://www.amanogawa.com/archive/docs/EM5.pdf)
• Reciprocity Theorem
– Antenna characteristics do not depend on the direction of energy
flow. The impedance & radiation pattern are the same when the
antenna radiates signal and when it receives it.
– Note: This theorem is valid only for linear passive antennas (i.e.
antennas that do not contain nonlinear and unilateral elements,
e.g. amplifiers)
87
EM Field of Current Element
z Er
E E Er E E
OP
H H r H H
E
r
2
E Er E E
2 2
I, dz y 2
H H r H H
2 2
x
I: current (monochromatic) [A]; dz: antenna element (short) [m]
88
Short dipole antenna: summary
• E & H are maximal in the equatorial plane, zero along the antenna
axis
• Er is maximal along the antenna axis dz, zero in the equatorial plane
• All show axial symmetry
• All are proportional to the current moment Idz
• Have 3 components that decrease with the distance-to-wavelength
ratio as
– (r/)-2 & (r/)-3: near-field, or induction field. The energy oscillates from
entirely electric to entirely magnetic and back, twice per cycle. Modeled
as a resonant LC circuit or resonator;
– (r/)-1: far-field or radiation field
– These 3 component are all equal at (r/) = 1/(2)
89
Field components
1000
C
100
C, Q: Induction fields
Q
Relative fieldstrength
10
FF
0.1
FF: Radiation field FF
0.01
C
0.001
0.1 1 10
Relative distance, Br
90
Field impedance
100 Field
Short dipole
impedanc
10 e
Z = E/H
Z / 377
1
depends
0.1 on the
Small loop
antenna
0.01
0.01 0.1 1 10 100
type and
Distance / (lambda/ 2Pi) on
distance
91
Far-Field, Near-Field
• Near-field region:
– Angular distribution of energy depends on
distance from the antenna;
– Reactive field components dominate (L, C)
• Far-field region:
– Angular distribution of energy is
independent on distance;
– Radiating field component dominates (R)
– The resultant EM field can locally be treated
as uniform (TEM)
92
Poynting vector
• The time-rate of EM energy flow per unit area in
free space is the Poynting vector
(see http://www.amanogawa.com/archive/docs/EM8.pdf).
• It is the cross-product (vector product, right-hand
screw direction) of the electric field vector (E)
and the magnetic field vector (H): P = E x H.
• For the elementary dipole E H and only
ExH carry energy into space with the speed of
light.
93
Power Flow
• In free space and at large distances, the
radiated energy streams from the antenna in
radial lines, i.e. the Poynting vector has only
the radial component in spherical coordinates.
• A source that radiates uniformly in all directions
is an isotropic source (radiator, antenna).
For such a source the radial component of the
Poynting vector is independent of and .
94
Linear Antennas
• Summation of all vector
components E (or H)
produced by each antenna
element
E E1 E2 E3 ...
H H1 H 2 H 3 ...
O • In the far-field region,
the vector components
are parallel to each other
• Phase difference due to
– Excitation phase difference
– Path distance difference
• Method of moments
95
Simulation: Linear dipole antenna
• http://www.amanogawa.com/archive/Dipol
eAnt/DipoleAnt-2.html
– Linear dipole antenna
• http://www.amanogawa.com/archive/Anten
na1/Antenna1-2.html
– Detailed analysis
96
Point Source
• For many purposes, it is sufficient to know
the direction (angle) variation of the power
radiated by antenna at large distances.
• For that purpose, any practical antenna,
regardless of its size and complexity, can
be represented as a point-source.
• The actual field near the antenna is then
disregarded.
97
• The EM field at large distances from an
antenna can be treated as originated at
a point source - fictitious volume-less
emitter.
• The EM field in a homogenous unlimited
medium at large distances from an
antenna can be approximated by an
uniform plane TEM wave
98
Image Theory
• Antenna above perfectly
conducting plane surface
• Tangential electrical field +
component = 0
– vertical components: the
same direction
– horizontal components:
opposite directions
• The field (above the ground) -
is the same as if the ground
is replaced by an mirror
image of the antenna
• http://www.amanogawa.com/ Elliptical polarization:
archive/wavesA.html change of the rotation sense!
99