DOI 10.4010/2016.

1449
ISSN 2321 3361 2016 IJESC

Research Article Volume 6 Issue No. 5

Design and Analysis of Microstrip Antenna Array Using CST

Software
K. Karuna Kumari1, Prof.P.V.Sridevi2
Department of ECE
GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, A.P., India

Abstract:
Recently, the field of wireless communication is the most widely researched area and the study of communication system is
incomplete without knowing the operation and the use of different types of antenna. The study of microstrip patch antennas has
made great progress in recent years. Compared with conventional antennas, microstrip patch antennas have more advantages and
better prospects. They are lighter in weight, low volume, low cost, low profile, smaller in dimension and ease of fabrication and
conformity. Moreover, the microstrip patch antennas can provide dual and circular polarizations, dual-frequency operation,
frequency agility, broad band-width, feed line flexibility, beam scanning omnidirectional patterning. Hence a Comparative study
of rectangular and circular shape microstrip fed patch antennas for blue tooth application is presented in this project. The
resonance frequency is chosen at 2.45 GHz which is suitable for industrial scientific and medical (ISM) band applications.
Computer Simulation Technology (CST) microwave studio is used as the software environment to design and compare the
performance of the antennas. Based on the results and analysis, it is noted that the rectangular patch antenna shows higher return
loss than the return loss of circular patch antenna. In addition, rectangular patch antenna has improved gain value than that of the
circular patch. However, circular patch antenna offers higher bandwidth as compared with the rectangular patch. The radiation
efficiency of both rectangular and circular shaped microstrip fed patch antennas is nearly the same.

Keywords: Circular patch, Rectangular patch, Antenna parameters, Computer Simulation Technology (CST)soft ware.

I.INTRODUCTION TO MICROSTRIP ANTENNAS a small fraction of a wavelength (h<<o usually 0.003 o h

Microstrip antennas are among the most widely used type of 0.05 o) above the ground plane.
antennas in the microwave frequency range and they are
often used in the milli-meter wave frequency range as well.
The micro strip antenna is generally a single-layer design and
consists of a radiating metallic patch or an array of patches
situated on one side of a thin, non-conducting, substrate panel
with a metallic ground plane situated on the other side of the
panel. There are numerous substrates that can be used for the
design of microstrip patch antennas and their dielectric
constants are usually in the range of 2.2 r 12. Those
desirable for antenna performance are thick substrates whose
dielectric constant are in the lower end of the range due to
better efficiency, larger bandwidth, and loosely bound fields
for radiation into space but at the expense of larger element
size. It is a popular printed resonant antenna for narrow-band
Fig 1.1 Microstrip antenna
microwave wireless links that require semi hemispherical
coverage. Due to its planar configuration and ease of
The different shapes of patches that can be used are as
integration with microstrip technology, the microstrip patch
follows:
antenna has been heavily studied and is often used as
elements for an array. A simple microstrip antenna with a
dielectric substrate being backed by a conducting ground
plate with printed patches or strips over it is shown below:

L in the figure defines the length of the patch or the strip

where as w represents the width of the patch. H is used to
define the thickness of the dielectric substrate and r
represents the dielectric constant of the substrate. The patch
over the dielectric substrate is usually considered to be very
thin (t<<o where o is free space wavelength) and is placed Fig 1.2 Different shapes of the patches

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 The metallic patch actually creates a resonant cavity ii)Transmission Line equations:
where the patch is the top of the cavity, the ground plane is 1.To Find Width(W):
the bottom of the cavity and the edges of the patch form the C
sides of the cavity. A patch antenna is a narrow band, wide W
beam antenna. Feeding in microstrip is achieved through the r 1
2 f0
use of co-axial line with an inner conductor that terminates 2
on the patch. The rectangular and circular patches are the 2 . To find the effective dielectric constant
basic and most commonly used microstrip antennas. Dual 1
characteristics, circular polarizations, dual frequency r 1 r 1 h2
operation, frequency agility, broad band width, feed line reff 1 12
flexibility, beam scanning can be easily obtained from these 2 2 W
patch antennas. 3. To find the effective length
c
Leff
2 f 0 reff
4.To find the fringing length(L)
W
reff 0.3 0.264
h
L 0.412h
W
Fig 1.3 Rectangular microstrip antenna reff 0.258 0.8
h
5.To find the actual length Land the width and length of the
Ground.The input impedance is
usually 50.
L Leff 2L ; L g 2 * L ; Wg 2 *W
6.The length of inset (fi)
fi 10 4 (0.001699 * r 0.13761 * r
7 6

Fig 1.4 Circular microstrip antenna 6.1783 * r 93.187 * r 682.69 *

5 4 3
r

The circular patch antenna has the advantage of their

radiation pattern being symmetric. Other configurations are
complex to analyze and require heavy numerical 7.The gap between the patch and the inset-fed(Gpf) usually
computations. A microstrip antenna is characterized by its 1mm.
Length, Width, Input impedance and Gain and radiation 8.The radius of the circular plane
patterns. F
r
Microstrip antennas have several advantages compared to 2h F
1/ 2

conventional microwave antennas and therefore have many 1 ln 1.7726
applications over the broad frequency range from 100MHz to r F 2h
50GHz.

II. DESIGNING OF RECTANGULAR and CIRCULAR
MICROSTRIP ANTENNA: To design a Rectangular
microstrip patch antenna the Essential parameters are 9.By using the above equations the parameters are calculated.
1.The operating frequency (f0). Parameters mm
2.Dielectric constant of substrate (r). W 38
3.The height of the dielectric substrate (hs). L 29
4.The height of the conductor (t). Fi 8.85
Wf 3.137
i)Other parameters Gpf 1
1.The width of the patch (W). Lg 2*L
2.The Length of the patch (L). Wg 2*W
3.The length and width of the ground plane (Wg)(Lg).
ht 0.035
There are lot of methods for analysis microstrip patch
hs 1.6
antenna:
1.The Transmission Line model. f 2.4 GHz
2.The Cavity model.
3. Method of Moments (MoM). Table 1 : Parameters of designed antenna

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10.The frequency range is 1.8GHz to 3GHz. iii)FARFIELD PATTERN
The three dimensional view of the microstrip patch antenna is
2.1 SIMULATION RESULTS OF RECTANGULAR shown here:
PATCH ANTENNA

Fig:2.4 Far field for rectangular antenna

2.1.Designed Rectangular patch using CST iv)POLAR PLOT:

i)RETURN LOSSES:
It is a parameter that is used to measure the power reflected
by the antenna due to the mismatch of the transmission line
and antenna. Let us consider an example, if the return loss is
0dB there is nothing to radiate by the antenna because the
power provided to the antenna is completely reflects by the
antenna. Lower value of the return loss provides the high
efficiency of antenna. The return loss of the antenna
performed is shown in the figure:
Fig:2.5 Rectangular antenna polar plot

2.2 SIMULATION RESULTS OF CIRCULAR PATCH

ANTENNA:

Fig:2.2 Return losses for rectangular antenna

ii)VSWR:
VSWR stands for voltage standing wave ratio. It is defined as
the ratio between the maximum value of standing wave 2.6.Designed Circular patch using CST
voltage to its minimum value. The minimum VSWR for an
antenna would be 1. The antenna with less VSWR has the i)RETURN LOSSES:
better return loss compared to the other antenna. The VSWR
of the microstrip patch antenna is shown in the figure:

Fig:2.7 Return loss for circular patch antenna

Fig:2.3 VSWR for rectangular antenna

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ii)VSWR: i)RETURN LOSSES:

Fig:2.8 VSWR for circular patch antenna

iii)POLAR PLOT: Fig:3.2 Return loss for rectangular array

ii)VSWR:

Fig:2.9 Polar plot for circular plot antenna Fig:3.3 VSWR for Rectangular array
iii)POLAR PLOT:
iv)FAR FIELD:

Fig:3.4 Polar plot for rectangular patch array

IV.SIMULATION RESULTS OF CIRCULAR ARRAY
Fig:2.10 Far field for circular patch antenna ANTENNA:

III.SIMULATION RESULTS OF RECTANGULAR

PATCH ARRAY ANTENNA:

Fig:4.1 Designed Circular patch array antenna using

CST
Fig:3.1 Designed Rectangular patch array antenna
using CST

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i)RETURN LOSSES: S.No Parameter Rectangular Circular
1 Return loss -28.63 -42.09
2 VSWR 1.27 1.01
3 Main Lobe 1.0 deg 15deg
Direction
4 Main Lobe 19.4 dB 18.7 dB
Magnitude

Table 3. Comparison of Rectangular and Circular patch array

Fig:4.2 Return losses for circular array
antennas
From the table 3 Circular antenna array has better results
ii)VSWR:
compared to rectangular array antenna.More negative values
of Return losses gives the better results and the circular
antenna array has the better return loss.Closer the value to 1,
better is the VSWR, and Circular antenna array has the better
VSWR.Lesser the directivity, more is the gain and Circular
antenna array has the better directivity.More the main lobe
direction better is the radiation patter, and circular antenna
array has the better main lobe direction

Fig:4.3 VSWR for circular array VI.CONCLUSION

Comparison between a rectangular patch antenna and a
iii)POLAR PLOT: circular patch antenna using the simulation results obtained
from CST Microwave studio has been carried out. Both the
antenna configurations show quite good results on
perspectives of re-turn loss, VSWR, gain and radiation
efficiency, for Bluetooth band applications. However, from
the perspective of return loss and gain the rectangular patch
configuration shows better performance, while the circular
patch configuration shows better results on bandwidth,
radiation pattern, side lobe levels.

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Fig: 4.4 Polar plot for circular array
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