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BANDWIDTH ENHANCEMENT ON MICROSTRIP RECTANGULAR PATCH ANTENNA WITH

ELECTROMAGNETIC BAND GAP STRUCTURE FOR WI-FI APPLICATION

Gede Surya Adhi D1, Rudy Yuwono, S.T., M.Sc2, Dr. Zuhairiah Binti Zainal Abidin3
Mahasiswa Jurusan Teknik Elektro, ²Dosen Jurusan Teknik Elektro, Universitas Brawijaya, 3Pensyarah
Kejuruteraan Komunikasi, UTHM
Jalan MT Haryono 167, Malang 65145, Indonesia
E-mail: suryaadhidananjaya@yahoo.com

Abstract - Use of microstrip patch antenna is very technology of EBG ( Electromagnetic Band Gap )
popular, but microstrip patch antenna suffer from a structures applicable to a frequential spectrum
number of disadvantages such as narrow extremely wide covered from the acoustic until the
bandwidth. In this paper, a planar Electromagnetic optical frequencies. EBG structures are periodic
Band-Gap (EBG) structures are used for further structures in which the electromagnetic wave
enhances the antenna bandwidth. An inset propagation is forbidden for an exciting incident
rectangular patch antenna was designed to work wave with certain defined space direction. In other
with a design frequency of 2.4 GHz. To analyze the words, EBG structures allow controlling the
EBG properties, the suspended transmission line electromagnetic wave propagation in function to
method is used. In order to bandwidth the characteristics of the periodic texture
enhancement, 1x3 EBG array arrange on the same composing the structure [3].
layer of antenna’s patch but the distance between EBG substrates have found possible
patch and EBG were optimized. Simulation and applications in the antenna technology to improve
measurement result are compared. In the end, it performance like reducing mutual coupling
resulted the bandwidth of the rectangular microstrip between effects due to truncated surface waves that
antenna has increased 1.79 % noticeably by using would be excited in a standard antenna substrate
the EBG structures for simulation result and [4]. EBG substrates can also be used to eliminate
increased 4.8 % for measurement result, and scan blindness phenomena presented in array
inclusion of EBG structure also improve gain as antennas. EBG structures basically made of
much as 0.345 dB and increase directivity of dielectrics or metals. These structures are periodic
antenna 0,309 dBi. Application of EBG structure in one, two or three dimension.
succeeds to increase the performance of antenna in
simulation and measurement result respectively. Design of Antenna and EBG Structures

Index term- microstrip patch antenna, planar Microstrip Antenna

Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG). The proposed microstrip antenna was
design on FR-4 substrate with dielectric
Introduction permittivity is 4.3 and 1.6 thickness. FR-4 is a low
Nowadays, the use of small size and cost material, has good strength, and well known as
low-cost electronics systems is increasing due to material with high flexibility. FR-4 can operate in
advancements in integrated systems. Recent 10 MHz until 10 GHz frequency.
developments in microstrip patch antennas make The design strategy is try to keep the
entire world acceptable as low profile radiator [1]. return loss as minimum as possible. Design
Microstrip antennas are very attractive from the procedure is conventional based on existing
side of designing compact and cost effective literature. Here two important parameters in
wireless communication systems. In contrast to the microstrip inset feed line is inset gap width (notch
merits such as light weight, low profile, ease of width) and the inset fed (notch length). Figure 1
integration with printed circuits, but microstrip shows the geometry of microstrip rectangular patch
antennas suffer from excitation of surface waves, antenna. Figure 2 shows fabricated microstrip
poor radiation efficiency and low gain [2]. antenna.
Recently, the scientific community
showed a very particular interest in a new
technology for the improvement of the
performances of antennas. It is a matter of the
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Figure 3. Geometry of Electromagnetic Band Gap

Figure 1. Geometry of microstrip antenna ( EBG ) unit cell.

Table 2. EBG specification

Label Size (mm)

Y 11
Y1 0.3
Y2 0.4
Y3 6.25
Y4 2.5
X 0.75
Figure 2. Fabricated microstrip antenna X1 2.5
X2 6.3
The dimension of the microstrip X3 3.025
rectangular patch antenna is given in table 1

Table 1. Microstrip antenna specification The periodic transmission line method is

most popular technique to analyze EBG structure
Label Size (mm) [7] . The advantages of microstrip have been well
L 60 established, and it is a convenient form of
L1 31.1 transmission line structure for probe measurements
L2 14.4 of voltage, current and waves a microstrip
W 40 transmission line is a "high grade" printed circuit
W1 28 construction, consisting of a track of copper or
W2 3.1 other conductor on an insulating substrate. There is
G 9.5 a "backplane" on the other side of the insulating
D 5.5 substrate, formed from a similar conductor. EBG is
used as ground plane in this method ( Fig. 4 )

Electromagnetics Band-Gap ( EBG ) Structures

The planar EBG is used in this research.

Planar EBG is chosen due to easy to fabricate.
Planar EBG when integrated with other microwave
devices exhibits some interesting features such as (a) (b)
distinctive passband and stopband, slow wave
effects, low attenuation in the passband and Figure 4. Fabricated proposed EBG ( a ) top view (
suppression of surface waves [7]. Geometry of b ) bottom view
EBG is showed in Fig. 3. This figure shows the
model of the unit cell of the EBG. The dimension S21 parameter is investigated to get band gap
of the EBG structure is given in Table 2. characteristic of EBG. The comparisons between
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simulated and measured of S21 value of both EBG 50 MHz for antenna without EBG and with EBG
are shown in Figure 5. From this figure, simulated respectively are obtained.
result shows minimum value of S21 is -24.93 dB at
2.4 GHz, meanwhile from measured result of S21 is
-16.17 dB at 2.4 GHz.

Figure 7. Bandwidth Comparison of Simulated

microstrip antenna with and without EBG

Figure 5. S21 comparison between simulated and

measured EBG structure

Antenna with EBG Structures.

To improve the performance of the
antenna, arrangement 1 x 3 array of EBG structures
is employed with the antenna. EBG applies in same
layer with antenna’s patch. The optimum distance
between the antenna’s patch and the EBG is 1.5
mm (as shown as in Fig. 6). The EBG and antenna Figure 8. Bandwidth Comparison of measured
size are identical with that mentioned previously. microstrip antenna with and without EBG

Based on the simulation result, gain of

antenna is increased when the EBG structure is
employed with microstrip antenna. As shown as in
Distance = 1.5 mm Fig.9 antenna without EBG structure has 5.345 dB
gain antenna, meanwhile (as in Fig. 10 ) antenna
with EBG structure has 5.690 dB gain. The gain is
increased by 0.345 dB.

Figure 6. Geometry of antenna with EBG structure

Result and Discussion

Figure 7 shows the bandwidth comparison

of simulated antenna without EBG and simulated
antenna with EBG. With the criteria of S11 less than
-10 dB, the antenna without EBG obtained 32.5
Figure 9. Gain of microstrip patch antenna without
MHz bandwidth and the antenna with EBG
EBG
obtained 36.7 MHz bandwidth. The bandwidth
increases about 4.2 MHz. Figure 8 shows the
bandwidth comparison between measured antenna
without EBG and with EBG. With the criteria of
S11 less than -10 dB, the bandwidth of 40 MHz and
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and antenna gain without sacrificing the bandwidth

of the array antenna. Finally, the antenna gain is
increased to 5.690 dB and directivity is increased to
5.911 dBi.

Acknowledgement
Author would like gratitude to Rudy Yuwono, S.T.,
M.Sc Dr. Zuhairiah Binti Zainal Abidin. Brawijaya
. (b) University and UTHM Malaysia for the support.

Figure 10. Gain of microstrip patch antenna with References

EBG
[1] J. R. James and P.S .Hall "Handbook of
Table 3 and Table 4 show the summary of
microstrip patch Antenna" VOL. 29, IEEE
the simulated and measured results respectively.
[2] Islam, M. T., R. Azim, and A. T.
Table 3. Simulation Results.
Antenna Antenna Mobashsher, ,Triple band- notched planar

Microstrip Microstrip UWB antennausing parasitic strips,"

without EBG with EBG Progress In Electromagnetics Research,

Structure Structure Vol. 129, 161{179,2012.

Return loss, [3] R. Garg, I. Bhartia, I. Bahl, A. Ittipiboon,

- 22.56 -18.46
S11(dB) “Microstrip antenna design handbook,”

Bandwidth 15.29 (36.7 Artech House, Boston, 2001.

13.5 (32.5 MHz)
(%) MHz) [4] F. Yang and Y. Rahmat-Samii,"Mutual

Gain (dB) 5.345 5.690 coupling reduction of microstrip antennas

Directivity using electromagnetic band-gap structure,"
5.602 5.911
(dBi) in IEEE AP-SIURSI symp. Dig., vol 2, July
2001,pp 478- 481.
Table 4. Measurement Result. [5] F. Yang and Y. Rahmat-Samii,

Antenna Antenna “Applications of electromagnetic band-gap

Microstrip Microstrip (EBG) structures in microwave antenna

without EBG with EBG designs,” Microw.Millimeter Wave

Structure Structure Technol., pp. 528–553, Aug. 2002.

[6] C. A. Balanis, “Antenna Theory, Analysis and
Return loss, S11(dB) -15.19 -15.09
Design,” John Wiley & Sons, New York,
20.8 (50
Bandwidth (%) 16 (40 MHz) 1997.
MHz)
[7] F. Yang, Y. R. Samii, “Electromagnetic Band

Conclusion Gap Structures in Antenna Engineering”,

Application of EBG structure increases Cambridge University Press 2009
bandwidth of a microstrip patch antenna. Also,
EBG structure implementation in the design of
microstrip antenna increases antenna directivity