A rectangular slot antenna with perfectly conducting superstrate and reflector sheets for superior radiation in the 6–9 GHz band

Abstract

This paper presents the design and analysis of a rectangular slot antenna for producing a directional radiation pattern over a wide bandwidth of 6–9 GHz. A basic wideband slot antenna is designed for the desired frequency band by microstrip offset feed technique. This antenna is then loaded with a superstrate and a reflector, both made of conducting sheets. Analogous to a three-element Yagi antenna, the superstrate enhances the boresight gain, while the reflector improves the front-to-back ratio (FBR) of the basic slot antenna. The antenna is optimized for superior wideband performance with boresight gain ≥5 dBi, peak cross-pol level ≤−10 dB and FBR ≥10 dB, over the −10 dB impedance band of 6–9 GHz, which in this paper is termed as the radiation bandwidth. Prototype measurement demonstrates a radiation bandwidth of 6.05–8.22 GHz (or 30.41%), which is in decent agreement with the simulation.