A MULTI-BAND MICROSTRIP ANTENNA FOR MOBILE HANDSET

TAN ZEE YEAN

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

PSZ 19:16 (Pind. 1/97)

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS TESIS

JUDUL: A MULTI-BAND MICROSTRIP ANTENNA FOR MOBILE HANDSET SESI PENGAJIAN: 2007/2008 Saya TAN ZEE YEAN (HURUF BESAR) mengaku membenarkan tesis (PSM/Sarjana/Doktor Falsafah)* ini disimpan di Perpustakaan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut:

1. Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. 2. Perpustakaan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dibenarkan membuat salinan untuk tujuan pengajian sahaja. 3. Perpustakaan dibenarkan membuat salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara institusi pengajian tinggi. 4. **Sila tandakan ( 4 ) SULIT (Mengandungi maklumat yang berdarjah keselamatan atau kepentingan Malaysia seperti yang termaktub di dalam AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972) (Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan oleh organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan)

TERHAD

TIDAK TERHAD Disahkan oleh

(TANDATANGAN PENULIS) Alamat Tetap:

(TANDATANGAN PENYELIA)

58, KAMPUNG BARU, SEMELING, 08100 BEDONG, KEDAH.

Tarikh:
CATATAN:

DR. NORHISHAM BIN HJ KHAMIS Nama Penyelia Tarikh: MAY 2008

MAY 2008

* Potong yang tidak berkenaan. ** Jika tesis ini SULIT atau TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak berkuasa/organisasi berkenaan dengan menyatakan sekali sebab dan tempoh tesis ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai SULIT atau TERHAD. Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi Ijazah Doktor Falsafah dan Sarjana secara penyelidikan, atau disertasi bagi pengajian secara kerja kursus dan penyelidikan, atau Laporan Projek Sarjana Muda (PSM).

I hereby declare that I have read this thesis and in my opinion this thesis is sufficient in terms of scope and quality for the award of the degree of Electrical-Telecommunication Engineering

Signature

: ...

Name of Supervisor : Dr. NOR HISHAM BIN HJ KHAMIS Date : MAY 2008

A MULTI-BAND MICROSTRIP ANTENNA FOR MOBILE HANDSET

TAN ZEE YEAN

This thesis is submitted in fulfillment for the Requirement for the award of the degree of Electrical Engineering (Telecommunication)

Faculty of Electrical Engineering Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

MAY 2008

ii

I declare that this thesis entitled A Multi-Band Microstrip Antenna for mobile Handset is the result of my own research except as cited in the references. The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is not concurrently submitted in candidature of any degree.

Signature Name Date

: . : : TAN ZEE YEAN MAY 2008

iii

To my beloved family and friends for their unconditional love and support

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I would like to grab this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to my project supervisor, Dr. Nor Hisham bin Haji Khamis for the guidance, motivation, inspiration, encouragement and advice throughout the duration of completing this project. Without his never ending support and interest, this thesis would not have been the same as presented here. My sincere appreciation also extends to all my housemates who have provided assistance at various occasions. Not forgetting my fellow course mates and friends, who shared a lot of technical knowledge with me, encourage me to seek for more knowledge and providing me some troubleshooting tips. I would like to thank the staffs of Microwave Laboratory for providing assistance. To my beloved family who has always been there to encourage, comfort and give their fullest support when I most needed them. Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to all who have directly or indirectly helped me in completing my project.

ABSTRACT

Wireless communications have progressed rapidly in recent years, and many mobile units are becoming smaller in size. To meet the miniaturization requirement, the antennas employed in mobile terminals must have also their dimensions reduced accordingly. Planar antennas, such as microstrip and printed antennas have the attractive features of low profile, small size, and conformability to mounting hosts and are very promising candidates for satisfying this design consideration. For this reason, compact and broadband design technique for planar antennas have attracted much attention from antenna researches. Very recently, especially after the year 2000, many novel planar antenna designs to satisfy specific bandwidth specifications of present-day mobile cellular communications systems, this project reviews the designs and get a compact structure capable of broadband operation including the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM; 890-960 MHz) band, centered at 900 MHz; the Digital Communication System (DCS; 1710-1880 MHz) band, centered at 1800 MHz; and the Personal Communication System (PCS; 1850-1990 MHz) band, centered at 1900 MHz and the Universal Mobile Telecommunication system (UMTS; 1920-2170 MHz) band, centered at 2 GHz.

vi

ABSTRAK

Bidang perhubugan wayerless telah berkembang secara pesatnya dalam beberapa tahun ini, dan telah mengakibatkan pengecilan saiz telefon mudah alih. Untuk mencapai pengurangan dari segi saiz, antenna telefon mudah alih perlu dikecilkan mengikut diamensi. Antena satah seperti mikrostrip dan antena printed ,mempunyai ciri-ciri yang menarik seperti profil rendah, ringan, teknik pembuatan yang mudah, dan mempunyai keseragaman dalam proses pemasangan dan ia merupakan calon yang paling berpotensi untuk memenuhi keperluan rekabentuk. Oleh sebab ini, teknik rekabentuk mengurangkan saiz antenna dan beroperasi pada jalur lebar untuk antena satah sangat diminati oleh ramai penyelidik. Baru-baru ini, terutamanya selepas tahun 2000, banyak antena yang baru direkabentuk untuk memenuhi jalur lebar yang tertentu dan beroperasi pada jalur frekuensi yang berbeze. Project ini merujuk rekabentuk tersebut dan seterusnya mendapatkan satu sruktur yang padat yang berupaya beroperasi pada jalur lebar dalam frekuensi yang berbeza yang digunapakai pada empat piawai GSM900 (Sistem Bergerak Global), GPS (Sistem Kedudukan Global), DCS1800 (Sistem Selular Digital), PCS (Sistem Telekomunikasi Peribadi) dan UMTS2000 ( Sistem Telekomunikasi Bergerak Universal).

vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

TITLE

PAGE

DECLARATION DEDICATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT ABSTRAK TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF APPENDENCES

ii iii iv v vi vii x xi xiii xiv

INTRODUCTION 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Overview Problem Statement Objective Scope of Work Methodology Thesis Outline

1 1 3 4 4 5 6

viii 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 2.2 2.3 Introduction 2.1.1 From Analog to Digital Systems Antenna for Mobile Phones Microstrip Antenna 2.3.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Microstrip Antennas 2.3.2 Applications of Microstrip Antennas 15 8 8 8 12 13 14

THEORY OF MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA 3.1 3.2 3.3 Basic Characteristics of Microstrip Patch Antenna Analysis of Microstrip Fundamentals of Transmission Line 3.3.1 Coaxial Cable 3.3.2 Microstrip Transmission Line 3.4 3.5 Substrate Materials Microstrip Transmission Line Design Formulas 3.5.1 Effective Dielectric Constant 3.5.2 Wavelength 3.5.3 Characteristic Impedance 3.5.4 Synthesis Equations 3.6 Design of Rectangular Microstrip Antenna

17 17 18 21 22 23 24 25 25 27 27 28 29

ANTENNA DESIGN AND PROCEDURES 4.1 4.2 4.3 Introduction Starting Point The Proposed Antenna Design 4.3.1 The Design Specifications 4.3.2 Antenna Structure 4.4 4.5 4.6 The Simulation Software The Fabrication Process The Measurement Stage

31 31 33 39 39 40 45 45 46

ix 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5.1 5.2 Introduction Return Loss 5.2.1 The Simulation Return Loss 5.2.2 The Measured Return Loss 5.2.2.1 Set One Antenna 5.2.2.2 Set Two Antenna 5.3 5.4 Radiation Pattern Antenna Prototype 47 47 48 48 53 54 56 59 61

CONCLUSIONS 6.1 6.2 Conclusions Recommendations for Future Work

64 64 65

REFERENCES

67

APPENDICES A-D

69-77

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO.

TITLE

PAGE

1.1 3.1 5.1

Frequency Bands for Wireless Applications Comparisons of Transmission Lines Comparison of Return Loss between the six proposed antenna design

3 22 51

xi

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE NO.

TITLE

PAGE

1.1 2.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4

Antenna Design and Development Flow Chart Microstrip Antenna Configurations Physical Structure of a Microstrip Patch Antenna Microstrip Patch Geometries Microstrip Line (Quasi-TEM Mode) Radiation Mechanism of Rectangular Microstrip Patch Coaxial Cable Structure of Microstrip Transmission Line Wide and Narrow (Width) Microstrip Line Rectangular Patch Work Flow Geometry and dimensions of the proposed low-profile planar monopole antenna for GSM/DCS/PCS/UMTS operation Measured and simulated return loss for the proposed antenna Simulated IE3D results of the surface current distributions on the radiating patch for the proposed antenna at 900, 1800, 1900, and 2050 MHz

5 14 18 18 19 21 22 24 26 29 31 33 35 35

4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8

Measured radiation patterns for the proposed antenna at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz Measured radiation patterns for the proposed antenna at 1900 MHz and 2050 MHz Measured antenna gain for the proposed antenna Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 1)

36 37 38 42

xii 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 2) Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 3) Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 4) Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 5) Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 6) Etching Machine Marconi Test Equipment The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design1) The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design2) The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design3) The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design4) The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design5) The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design6) The Measured Return Loss (Set One Design1) The Measured Return Loss (Set One Design3) The Measured Return Loss (Set One Design6) The Measured Return Loss (Set Two Design1) The Measured Return Loss (Set Two Design3) The Measured Return Loss (Set Two Design6) The Radiation Pattern for 1.8GHz Band (Design1) The Radiation Pattern for 1.8GHz Band (Design3) The Radiation Pattern for 1.8GHz Band (Design6) The Fabricated Antenna Design1 (Set One) The Fabricated Antenna Design3 (Set One) The Fabricated Antenna Design6 (Set One) The Fabricated Antenna Design1 (Set Two) The Fabricated Antenna Design3 (Set Two) The Fabricated Antenna Design6 (Set Two) 42 43 43 44 44 46 46 48 49 49 50 50 51 54 55 55 57 57 58 59 60 60 61 62 62 62 63 63

xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AMPS CDMA DCS GPS GSM EM IFAs MIC PCB PCS PIFAs TACS TDMA TEM UMTS VSWR WLAN 1G 2G 2.5G 3G 4G

- Advanced Mobile Phone Service - Code Division Multiple Access - Digital Communication System - Global Position System - Global System for Mobile Communication - Electromagnetic - inverted-F shaped wire-form antennas - Microwave Integrated Circuit - Printed Circuit Board - Personal Communication System - Planar Inverted-F Antennas - Total Access Communications System - Time Division Multiple Access - Transverse-Electric-Magnetic - Universal Mobile Telecommunication System - Voltage Standing Wave Ratio - Wireless Local Area Network First Generation - Second Generation - Evolved Second Generation - Third Generation - Fourth Generation

IMT-2000 - International Mobile Communications-2000

xiv

LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX.

TITLE

PAGE

A B C1 C2 D

Designed Procedures Using Microwave Office Return Loss Measurement Equipment used for Antenna Testing Equipment used for PCB Fabrication Components and Price List

69 73 75 76 77

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1

Overview

Wireless and mobile communications is one of the fastest growing areas of modern life. It has an enormous impact on almost every aspect of our daily lives. Moreover, it have progressed very rapidly in recent years, and many mobile units are becoming smaller and smaller. There are also some demands for the mobile phones to be attractive, lightweight and curvy. In order to meet the miniaturization requirement, the antennas employed in mobile terminals must have their dimensions reduced accordingly. Besides, this has resulted production of handsets with antennas that are internal or hidden within the device. An internal antenna makes the handset look much nicer and compact compared to the conventional monopole-like antennas which remained relatively large antenna height. Therefore, build in antennas becoming very promising candidates for applications in mobile phones.

Currently, most built-in antennas used in mobile phones include microstrip antennas, inverted-F shaped wire-form antennas (IFAs), and planar inverted-F antennas (PIFAs). Planar antennas, such as microstrip and printed antennas have the attractive features of low profile, light weight, compact size and volume, and

2 conformability to mounting hosts [1] and low fabrication costs are very talented candidates for satisfying the design consideration. Besides, PIFAs also being used as internal antenna as it has more advantages on microstrip antenna. Conceptually, it can be designed to have a wide-bandwidth, so it can operates in dual-band and triband phones. PIFA renders itself capable of operating in two or more discrete frequency bands, multiband. In addition, PIFAs is currently used as its concealable within the housing of the mobile phones. It also capable reduces backward radiation toward the users head and enhances antenna performance.

For these reasons, compact and broadband design techniques for planar antennas [2] have attracted much attention from antenna researches. Recently, especially after the year 2000, many novel planar antenna designs to satisfy specific bandwidth specifications of present-day mobile cellular communications system have been developed. Designing an internal antenna for a mobile phone is difficult especially when dual or multi-band operation is required. Although obtaining dualfrequency resonance is straightforward, satisfying the bandwidth requirement for the respective communication bands is difficult. Further complications arise when the antenna has to operate in close proximity to objects like shielding cans, screws, battery, and various other metallic objects. At present, many mobile telephones use one or more of the following frequency bands: the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM; 890-960 MHz) band, centered at 900 MHz; the Digital Communication System (DCS; 1710-1880 MHz) band, centered at 1800 MHz; and the Personal Communication System (PCS; 1850-1990 MHz) band, centered at 1900 MHz and the Universal Mobile Telecommunication system (UMTS; 1920-2170 MHz) band, centered at 2 GHz.

3 Table 1.1: Frequency bands for wireless applications

Wireless Applications Global System for Mobile Communication GSM-900 Digital Communication System DCS-1800 Personal Communication System PCS-1900 Universal Mobile Telecommunication system UMTS-2000 Bluetooth and Wireless Local Area Network WLAN

Frequency Bands (MHz) 890-960 1710-1880 1850-1990 1920-2170 2400-2484

1.2

Problem Statement

Different wireless standards are available for mobile communication, thus, it required a same device that can operate in different frequency bands. Therefore, multi-band antennas which provide the feature of multi-band reception is needed since it is not possible to equip the device with many antenna for each frequency.

Besides, the sizes and weights of mobile phones have been rapidly reduced due to the development of integrated circuit technology and requirements of users. Moreover, in recent years, the demand for compact handheld communication devices has grown significantly.

4 1.3 Objective

The main objective of this project is to design and develop a multi-band and/or wide-bandwidth antenna which could operate at different wireless frequency bands such as GSM-900, DCS-1800, PCS-1900 and 3G-2000.

1.4

Scope of Work

The main emphasis of the project is to design and develop a multi-band microstrip antenna. In order to achieve that, the project is divided into software and hardware parts. At start, a comprehensive literature review is required to obtain knowledge on antenna design. Furthermore, several types of antennas with optimal working frequency and PCB specifications is proposed and developed.

The designed antenna is then being verified and improves using simulation software such as Microwave Office. The antenna design parameters are optimizes to satisfy the best return loss and radiation pattern in frequency bands. Then, a prototype antenna will be fabricated and comparisons will be made between simulation and measurement results.

5 1.5 Methodology of Project

Figure 1.1 Antenna design and development flow chart

In order to achieve the objectives of the project, at the first phase of work, a comprehensive literature review on multi-band microstrip antenna is required. This is to get an antenna that requires minimal modification to suit the specifications of the project.

Then, the process is continues with design or develop the antenna design. Besides, in design and simulation stage, antenna design is simulate using simulation software Microwave Office. In the second stage of work which reached the prototype stage, antenna is being fabricated. The prototype is being fabricated, conduct experiments and compare the performance of the antenna between simulated and measured results.

6 1.6 Thesis Outline

In generally, this thesis is divided into six chapters. Each chapter will discuss on different issues related to the project. Following are the outline for each chapter:

Chapter one discusses on the introduction and overview of the project background, problem statement, objective, scope of the work and methodology to carry out the work.

Meanwhile, Chapter two focuses on the literature review used to assist the project. It presents some general review on mobile generation and its characteristics and the stages of developing it from analog to digital systems, and some general antennas on mobile phones. Besides, this chapter also introduces theory behind microstrip antenna, advantages and disadvantages of microstrip antennas and also the applications of microstrip antennas.

Chapter three shows the theory of microstrip patch antenna. It consists basic characteristics of microstrip patch antenna and the analysis of microstrip. Furthermore, it deals with the fundamentals of transmission line such as coaxial cable and microstrip transmission line. Besides, substrate materials, microstrip transmission line design formulas, effective dielectric constant, wavelength, characteristic impedance, the synthesis equations, and basic formula to design a rectangular microstrip antenna are the topics discussed in this chapter.

Chapter four explains on the antenna design and its procedures. An IEEE article which is set as the main reference of this project is included. In addition, the proposed antenna designs, the antenna structure and specifications are being presented. The simulation software Microwave Office, the fabrication process and also the measurement stage is being introduced.

7 Chapter five introduces the simulation and measured return loss and has a discussion for these results. Comparison are made between the simulation and measured result. Besides, simulation result for radiation pattern and antenna prototypes are attached.

Chapter six is devoted to conclusion and recommendations for future work that can be done for more enhancements for the antenna.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1

Introduction

At the start of the 21st century, the wireless mobile markets are witnessing unprecedented growth fueled by an information explosion and a technology revolution. In the radio frequency arena, the trend is to move from narrowband to wideband with a family of standards tailored to a variety of application needs. Besides, there are a variety of wireless communication systems for transmitting voice, video, and data in local or wide areas. There are point-to-point wireless bridges, wireless local area networks, multidirectional wireless cellular systems, and satellite communication systems.

2.1.1

From Analog to Digital Systems

Mobile wireless analog communication systems have been around since the 1950s. The early systems were single channel "over-and-out" systems. Instead of a

9 cellular configuration, a single radio tower serviced a metropolitan area, which severely limited the scalability of the systems. Service quality varied depending on the location of the caller. Later systems added multiple two-way channels but still had limited capacity.

Analog cellular services were introduced by AT&T in the 1970s and became widespread in the 1980s. The primary analog service in the United States is called AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service). There are similar systems around the world that go by different names. The equivalent system in England is called TACS (Total Access Communications System).

The AMPS system is a circuit-oriented communication system that operates in the 824-MHz to 894-MHz frequency range. This range is divided into a pool of 832 full-duplex channel pairs (1 send, 1 receive). Any one of these channels may be assigned to a user. A channel is like physical circuit, except that it occupies a specific radio frequency range and has a bandwidth of 30 kHz. The circuit remains dedicated to a subscriber call until it is disconnected, even if voice or data is not being transmitted.

Cellular systems are described in multiple generations, with third- and fourthgeneration (3G and 4G) systems just emerging: These are the analog systems such as

First generation (1G system)

AMPS that grew rapidly in the 1980s and are still available today. Many metropolitan areas have a mix of 1G and 2G systems, as well as emerging 3G systems. The systems use frequency division multiplexing to divide the bandwidth into specific frequencies that are assigned to individual calls.

10 Second generation (2G systems) These second-generation systems are digital, and use either TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) or CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) access methods. The European GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) is a 2G digital system with its own TDMA access methods. The 2G digital services began appearing in the late 1980s, providing expanded capacity and unique services such as caller ID, call forwarding, and short messaging. A critical feature was seamless roaming, which lets subscribers move across provider boundaries.

Evolved second generation (2.5G) Improved data services (packet data and higher bit rates) GPRS (packet data in GSM) and EDGE (higher bit rates within GSM).

Third generation (3G systems)

3G has become an umbrella term

to describe cellular data communications with a target data rate of 2 Mbits/sec. The ITU originally attempted to define 3G in its IMT-2000 (International Mobile Communications-2000) specification, which specified global wireless frequency ranges, data rates, and availability dates. However, a global standard was difficult to implement due to different frequency allocations around the world and conflicting input. So, three operating modes were specified.

Fourth generation (4G Systems)

On the horizon are 4G systems

that may become available even before 3G matures (3G is a confusing mix of standards). While 3G is important in boosting the number of wireless calls, 4G will offer true high-speed data services.

11 The move to digital technologies opened up the wireless world. It improved capacity, reduced equipment costs, and allowed for the addition of new features. Reduced handset costs meant more people were vying for services and taxing systems. 3G systems add more capacity. In addition, packet technologies were developed that use bandwidth more efficiently. The primary 1G and 2G digital systems are listed here. These are the traditional analog systems such as

Analog cellular

AMPS and TACS that use frequency division multiplexing. AMPS operate in the 800-MHz range, while TACS operates in the 900-MHz frequency range.

Hybrid cellular)

analog/digital

cellular

(usually

called

digital

These systems are analog AMPS systems in which

digitized voice and digital data is modulated onto the analog sine wave of the channel being used. They operate in the same 800-MHz range as analog AMPS and even use the same topology and equipment configuration (cells, towers, etc.). The access method may be either TDMA or CDMA, as discussed in the next section.

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)

This is a

second-generation mobile system designed from the ground up without trying to be backward compatible with older analog systems. GSM is popular in Europe and Asia, where it provides superior roaming ability among countries. It uses TDMA, but Europe is moving from this system into 3G systems based on a wideband form of CDMA.

UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) for "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System",

Standing UMTS

12 represents an evolution in terms of capacity, data speeds and new service capabilities from second generation mobile networks. Today, more than 60 3G/UMTS networks using WCDMA technology are operating commercially in 25 countries, supported by a choice of over 100 terminal designs from Asian, European and United States (US) manufacturers. Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo launched the world's first commercial WCDMA network in 2001.

When digital cellular services were being designed in the early 1980s, the choice was to design a system that was backward compatible with existing analog systems (and used the same frequency allocation) or to design a whole new system. The European community had about seven incompatible analog services, so it created the GSM system from scratch to operate in the 900-MHz range (and later in the 1,800-MHz range).

2.2

Antennas for Mobile Phones

An antenna is defined by Websters Dictionary as a usually metallic device (as a rod or wire) for radiating or receiving radio waves. The IEEE Standard Definitions of Terms of Antennas (IEEE Std 145-1983) [3] defines the antenna or aerial as a means for radiating or receiving radio waves. In other words the antenna is the transitional structure between free space and a guiding device.

In general, the antennas used in mobile phones are expected to have certain characteristics: 1. Minimum occupied volume with regard to portability and overall size minimization of the mobile terminal and shape.

13 2. Light weight. 3. Conformability to mounting hosts. 4. Multi-band operation for different communication standards. 5. Adequate bandwidth covering the frequency range used by the system, including a safety margin for production tolerances. 6. Isotropic radiation characteristics (omnidirectional). 7. Negligible human body effect. 8. Low fabrication costs since it is a mass produced consumer item.

2.3

Microstrip Antenna

The concept of microstrip radiators was first proposed by Deschamps [4] as early as 1953. However, twenty years passed before practical antenna were fabricated, as better theoretical models and photo-etch techniques for copper or goldclad dielectric substrates with a wide range of dielectric constants, attractive thermal and mechanical properties and of low loss tangent were developed. The first practical antennas were developed in the early 1970s by Howell and Munson. Since then, extensive research and development of microstrip antennas and arrays, exploiting the numerous advantages such as light with integrated circuits, etc., have led to diversified applications and to the establishment of the topic as a separate entity within the broad field of microwave antennas.

As shown in Figure 2.1, a microstrip antenna in its simplest configuration consists of a radiating patch on one side of a dielectric substrate ( r 10 ), which has a ground plane on the other side. The patch conductors, normally of copper and gold, can assume virtually any shape, but conventional shapes are generally used to simplify analysis and performance prediction. Ideally, the dielectric constant, r of

14 the substrate should be low ( r 2.5 ), so as to enhance the fringe fields which

account for the radiation.

Figure 2.1 Microstrip Antenna Configurations

2.3.1

Advantages and Disadvantages of Microstrip Antennas

Microstrip antennas have several advantages compared to conventional microwave antennas and therefore many applications over the broad frequency from 100MHz to 50GHz. Some of the principal advantages of microstrip antennas compared to conventional microwave antennas are: Lightweight, low volume, low profile, planar configurations which can be made conformal Low fabrication cost; readily amenable to mass production Can be made thin; hence, they do not perturb the aerodynamics of host aerospace vehicles The antennas may be easily mounted on missiles, rockets and satellites without major alternations The antennas have low scattering cross section

15 Linear, circular (left hand or right hand) polarizations are possible with simple changes in feed position Dual frequency antennas easily made No cavity backing required Microstrip antennas are compatible with modular designs (solid state devices such as oscillators, amplifiers, variable attenuators, switches, modulators, mixers, phase shifters etc. can be added directly to the antenna substrate board) Feed lines and matching networks are fabricated simultaneously with the antenna structure

However, microstrip antennas also have some disadvantages compared to conventional microwave antennas including: Narrow bandwidth Loss, hence somewhat lower gain Most microstrip antenna radiate into a half plane Practical limitations on the maximum gain ( 20dB) Poor endfire radiation performance Poor isolation between the feed and the radiating elements Possibility of excitation of surface waves Lower power handling capability

2.3.2 Applications of Microstrip Antennas

For many practical designs, the advantages of microstrip antennas far outweigh their disadvantages. Even though the field of microstrip antennas now may be considered to be still in its infancy, there are many different, successful

16 applications. With continuing research and development and increased usage of microstrip antennas it is expected that they will ultimately replace conventional antennas for most applications. Some notable system applications for which microstrip antennas have been developed include [4]: Satellite communication Doppler and other radars Radio altimeter Command and control Missile telemetry Weapon fusing Man pack equipment Environmental instrumentation and remote sensing Feed elements in complex antennas Satellite navigation receiver Biomedical radiator

CHAPTER 3

THEORY OF MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA

3.1

Basic Characteristics of Microstrip Patch Antenna

The basic microstrip patch antenna is made up of a thin sheet of low-loss insulating material called the dielectric substrate (Figure 3.1). It is considered the mechanical backbone of the microstrip circuit as it provides a stable support for the conductor strips and patches that make up connecting lines, resonators and antennas. Furthermore, it fulfills an electrical function by concentrating the electromagnetic fields and preventing unwanted radiation in circuits.

The electrical characteristics of the antenna are also largely determined by its permittivity and thickness. The bottom layer of the dielectric is completely covered with metal and this is known as the ground plane. The topside of the dielectric is partly metalized or patched whereby antenna or circuit pattern can be printed. Figure 3.2 depicts the different shapes, which the radiating patch element may take the form of. The attractive radiation characteristics, especially low cross polarization radiation makes the square, rectangular, dipole (strip) and circular shapes the simplest and common in terms of analysis and fabrication.

18

Figure 3.1 Physical Structure of a Microstrip Patch Antenna

Figure 3.2: Microstrip Patch Geometries

3.2

Analysis of Microstrip

The microstrip is essentially an inhomogeneous transmission line because the fields are not contained completely in the substrate. As a result, this transmission line cannot support pure transverse-electric-magnetic (TEM) mode of transmission, as phase velocities would be different in the air and the substrate. Instead, the dominant mode of propagation for the microstrip lines is the quasi-TEM mode as observed in Figure 3.3.

19

Figure 3.3: Microstrip Line (Quasi-TEM Mode)

Physically, microstrip antennas radiate because electric currents flow on the surface of metal patches and ground plane. Every elementary surface of both conductors contributes to radiation, directly or indirectly, through the excitation of the different waves described in the earlier section. Summing up the fields of the waves contributed by all elementary surfaces thus yield the complete field configuration. Therefore, the microstrip antenna has a maximum of its radiation pattern broadside to the plane of the antenna as it radiates power in a beam broadside to the plane of the antenna and displays an input impedance similar to a parallel resonant circuit near its operating frequency.

Considering a basic microstrip in its simplest configuration with a radiating metallic patch on one side of a dielectric substrate ( r 10 ) and a ground plane on the under side, the idea of radiation from microstrip antennas can be understood. The dielectric constant of the substrate should ideally be low ( r 2.5 ) to enhance fringing fields, which forms the basis of useful radiation in this application. Most microstrip antennas possess radiating elements on one side of a dielectric substrate and can be fed by any of the feed techniques introduced later.

20 The concept of radiation from microstrip antennas can be understood by first considering a simple case of a rectangular microstrip patch spaced a fraction of a wavelength above a ground plane as shown in Figure 3.4. Radiation occurs from the fringing fields between the edge of the microstrip conductor and the ground plane when the microstrip structure is about half a wavelength (

) long, assuming no

variations of the electric fields along the width and the thickness of it.

The fields at the end can be resolved into normal and tangential components with respect to the ground plane. The normal components are out of phase as the patch line is (

) long. This means that the far fields produced by

them cancel in the broadside direction. The tangential components, which are in phase means that the resulting fields combine to give maximum radiated field normal to the surface of the structure (i.e. the broadside direction). Hence, the patch can be represented as two slots

apart excited in phase and radiating in

the half space above the ground plane (Figure 3.4b).

The variations of field along the width of the patch can also be considered by the same analogy. The antenna can be represented by four slots that surround the
patch structure. Similarly, equivalent slots may also represent all the other microstrip configurations. As such, radiation field can be determined since the fields in the slots are known accurately and equivalent current sources can thus be calculated accordingly.

21

Figure 3.4: Radiation Mechanism of Rectangular Microstrip Patch

3.3

Fundamentals of Transmission Line

The purpose of transmission line is to deliver all the signal power to the antenna with the least possible power loss which depends on the special physical and electrical characteristics (impedance and resistance) of the transmission line.

There are many type of transmission line suitable for microwave system depends on their applications and availability of technology. Basically, there are classified in three basic forms which are waveguide, coaxial cable and microstrip line.

Each type has its own usage, their advantages and disadvantages briefly shown in Table 3.1:

22

Table 3.1: Comparisons of Transmission Lines

Type Advantages Waveguide -Low attenuation -High power Disadvantages -Limited bandwidth -Large size Coaxial cable -Larger bandwidth -Small size -High attenuation -Low power Microstrip line -Easy to connect multiple lines together -Very high attenuation -Low power

3.3.1

Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable is defined as two wires which shape in concentric and cylindrical, separated by dielectric (insulator). Normally, there are two kinds of insulator being used, which is air and helical insulator. The length of center conductor is 2a while the length of outer conductor is 2b as shown in Figure 3.5. These conductors are cover by protective jacket. The protective jacket is then covered by an outer protective armor.

Figure 3.5 Coaxial Cable

23 However, this kind of cable is difficult to fix into PCB board compare to the microstrip line. Thus, coaxial cable is not suitable for this project. Here are some formulas which related to coaxial cable.

The line inductance ( l ) of coaxial cable is [5],

l=

b ln 2 a

(3.1)

The capacitor per unit length of coaxial cable is [5],

C =

2 ln (b a )

(3.2)

The characteristic impedance (Z0) of a coaxial cable is [5],

Z0 =

1 l = C 2

b ln a

(3.3)

Whereas , the permeability and permittivity of the filling respectively.

3.3.2

Microstrip Transmission Line

The microstrip transmission line is the most commonly used Microwave Integrated Circuit (MIC) transmission medium and is also one of the most popular type of planar transmission line. A planar configuration implies that the dimensions in a single plane can determine the characteristics of the element. For example, the width, w, of a microstrip line on a dielectric substrate can be adjusted to control its impedance.

24 The structure of a microstrip transmission line is shown in the figure 3.6. The most important dimension parameters of a microstrip circuit design are the width, w, of the microstrip line and the height, h, which is equivalent to the thickness of the dielectric substrate [6]. The relative permittivity, r, of the substrate is also another important parameter. The fabrication of a microstrip transmission line is often done through etching on a microwave substrate material.

Figure 3.6 Structure of Microstrip Transmission Line

The thickness of the strip, t, and the conductivity, are not important parameters and are often neglected.

3.4

Substrate Materials

Dielectric substrate plays an important role in the design and simulation of the microstrip transmission line as well as any other antennas. Some important dimensions of the dielectric substrate are:

The dielectric constant. The dielectric loss tangent that sets the dielectric loss.

25

The cost. The thickness of the copper surface.

There are numerous types of substrates that can be used for the design of antennas. They often have different characteristics and their dielectric constants normally range from 2.2 r 12. Thick substrates with low relative dielectric constants are often used as they provide better efficiency and a wider bandwidth. However, using thin substrates with high dielectric constant would result in smaller antenna size. But this also results negatively on the efficiency and bandwidth. Therefore, there must be a design trade-off between antenna size and good antenna performance.

3.5

Microstrip Transmission Line Design Formulas

To design a microstrip transmission line, first must be able to obtain dimensions such as effective dielectric constant, wavelength and characteristic impedance.

3.5.1

Effective Dielectric Constant

One might think that the effective dielectric constant, r,eff, is the same as the dielectric constant, r, of the substrate. This appears to be true only for a homogeneous structure and not for a non-homogeneous structure. For microstrip structures, we are able to calculate the effective dielectric constant that comes in two

26 different cases. These two cases are illustrated in figure 3.7 whereby the top diagram shows a microstrip with width, w, greater than the thickness, h, of the substrate (wh). The microstrip with thickness greater than width is at the bottom diagram [6].

Figure 3.7: Wide and Narrow (Width) Microstrip Line

The effective dielectric constant of a microstrip line is given by approximated by [7]:

1 ( r + 1) r , eff r 2
1 2 2 r + 1 r 1 12 w w = + 1+ + 0.041 for 1 w 2 2 h h h

(3.4)

r , eff

(3.5)

r , eff

12 r + 1 r 1 = + 1+ w 2 2 h

for

w 1 h

(3.6)

27
3.5.2 Wavelength

For a propagating wave in free space, the wavelength of that medium is equal to the speed of light divided by its operating frequency. To obtain the wavelength of a given wave-guide or antenna, the free space wavelength is simply divided by the square root of the effective dielectric constant of the wave-guide. These are shown in equations (3.7) and (3.8) [7].

o =

c fo

(3.7)

g =

o r , eff

(3.8)

Where c = speed of light, fo = operating frequency, o = free space wavelength and g = the guide wavelength.

3.5.3

Characteristic Impedance

The characteristic impedance, Zo, of any line is the function of its geometry and dielectric constant. For a microstrip transmission line, the characteristic impedance is defined as the ratio of voltage and current of a travelling wave. For a microstrip line with width, w, we are able to calculate the characteristic impedance through the following two equations [7]:

Zo =

60

r , eff

8 w w + 0.25 for 1 ln w h h h

(3.9)

28
120 Zo =

r , eff

w + 1.393 + 0.667 ln w + 1.444 h h

for

w 1 h

(3.10)

3.5.4 Synthesis Equations

The width-to-height (w/h) is a strong function of Z0 and of the substrate permittivity r. In addition, the characteristic impedance of a microstrip transmission line is also related to its width. As for the length of the line, it does not have much significance on the impedance characteristics. Hence, various formulas had been derived for microstrip calculations [7]. Wheeler developed this formula according to the relationship of the line width with its characteristic impedance and substrate permittivity.

w 8 exp H ' = h exp(2 H ' ) 2 Where

H '= Z o 2( r + 1) 120 1 r 1 1 4 + ln + ln 2 r + 1 2 r

(3.10)

(3.11)

However, if the characteristic impedance Z0 < 44 - 2 r , the ratio of the width of the microstrip line and the dielectric thickness is given by

1 w 2 0.517 = [(d 1) ln (2d 1)] + r ln (d 1) + 0.293 h r r

Where
d = 60 2 Zo r

(3.12)

(3.13)

29

3.6

Design of Rectangular Microstrip Antenna Element Width and Length

Figure 3.8 Rectangular Patch

With a larger patch width the radiated power will increased and resonant resistance will decreased, bandwidth will increase and it will also increased radiation efficiency. With a proper excitation one may choose a patch width W greater than the patch length L without undesired modes. It have been suggested that 1< W/L <2 [8].

Practical width that leads to a good radiation efficiencies [8]:

c [2 / ( r + 1 )] W = 2 fr

(3.14)

The effective dielectric constant can be computed from equation as shown below [8]:
for W >1 h

eff

1 = ( r + 1) + ( r 1) 1 + 12 h W 2

(3.15)

The actual length of the patch can now be determined by the followed equation [8]:

L=

c 2 f r eff

2L

(3.16)

30

L = 0.412h

eff + 0.300 W / h + 0.264 eff 0.258 W / h + 0.813

(3.17)

31

CHAPTER 4

ANTENNA DESIGN AND PROCEDURES

4.1

Introduction

Figure 4.1 Work Flow

This project requires plenty of researches and trials. To have a strong background of antenna design, studies and analysis have to be done beforehand. Research on microstrip multi-band antenna has to be completed to have a clear

32 picture on the overall designing process. The factors that will influence the performance of the antenna have to be determined and further investigate on their effects. Then, analysis has to be performed on various antenna designs that are suitable to be implemented in the project.

For the design of this project, there are some aspects that need extra attention, such as: The return loss of the antenna has to fall on 0.9GHz, 1.8GHz, 1.9GHz, 2GHz and 2.4GHz, which is able to provide good performance The bandwidth of the antenna has to be sufficient enough to support the required frequency

This project requires a lot of simulations to be done. Hence, being able to familiar with the Microwave Office simulation software is essential. Apart from that, being able to use all the related measurement tools in the Wireless Communication Centre Laboratory is very important as well. For example, being able to use the Marconi Test Equipment is important for the measurement on return loss.

In brief, the objectives of this project can be achieved by implementing the following steps as shown in the Figure 4.1.

33

4.2

Starting Point

At the initial stage of antenna design, an IEEE paper A Low-Profile Planar Monopole Antenna for Multiband Operation of Mobile Handsets [9] is referred and is set as the primary reference.

Figure 4.2 Geometry and dimensions of the proposed low-profile planar monopole
antenna for GSM/DCS/PCS/UMTS operation

Figure 4.2 shows the proposed low-profile planar monopole antenna which could operate at the global system for mobile communication (890960 MHz), digital communication system (17101880 MHz), personal communication system (18501990 MHz), and universal mobile telecommunication system (19202170 MHz) bands. The radiating element is a rectangular patch with a folded slit inserted at its bottom edge, and is printed on an inexpensive FR4 substrate (thickness 0.4 mm, relative permittivity 4.4) as shown in the figure. A 50- microstrip line is used to feed the monopole antenna, and is printed on the same substrate. On the other side of the substrate, there is a ground plane below the microstrip feed line. This ground plane

34 was selected to be 30x60 mm2 in the experiment, which can be considered to be the ground plane of a practical mobile handset.

The radiating rectangular patch has dimensions of 10x30 mm2 and is placed on top of the ground plane with a distance of 2 mm. The dimensions of the folded inserted slit are shown in the figure. The major effect of the folded slit is to separate the rectangular patch into two sub-patches, one smaller inner sub-patch and one larger outer sub-patch. It should be noted that the open end of the folded slit at the patchs bottom edge is placed close to the feed point, and the other end inside the patch is also designed to be close to the feed point. In this case, the smaller inner subpatch is encircled by the outer one, which leads to two possible excited surface current paths inside the rectangular patch. The longer path starts from the feed point and follows the folded slit to the open end of the slit at the patchs bottom edge, while the shorter one is from the feed point to the end of the inner sub-patch encircled by the folded slit. It can be seen that the length of the longer path is much greater than the length of the rectangular patch, which makes the fundamental resonant frequency of the proposed antenna greatly lowered. In the proposed design shown in Figure 4.1, this length is about 70 mm, which is slightly less than onequarter wavelength of the operating frequency at 900 MHz. This difference is largely due to the effect of the supporting FR4 substrate, which reduces the resonant length of the radiating element [10].

On the other hand, the length of the shorter path in the proposed design is about 30 mm, which makes it possible for the excitation of a quarter-wavelength resonant mode at about 2000 MHz. This resonant mode incorporating the secondhigher (half-wavelength) resonant mode of the longer path, which is expected to be at about 1800 MHz, forms a wide impedance bandwidth covering the bandwidths of the 1800-, 1900-, and 2050-MHz bands for the proposed antenna.

35

Figure 4.3 Measured and simulated return loss for the proposed antenna

Figure 4.3 shows the measured return loss of the proposed antenna. It is clearly seen that two wide operating bandwidths are obtained. The lower bandwidth, determined by 1: 2.5 VSWR, reaches 142 MHz and covers the GSM band (890960 MHz). On the other hand, the upper band has a bandwidth as large as 565 MHz and covers the DCS (17101880 MHz), PCS (18501990 MHz), and UMTS (19202170 MHz) bands. The measured data in general agree with the simulated results.

Figure 4.4 Simulated IE3D results of the surface current distributions on the
radiating patch for the proposed antenna at 900, 1800, 1900, and 2050 MHz.

36 The excited surface current distributions, obtained from the IE3D simulation, on the radiating patch for the proposed antenna at 900, 1800, 1900, and 2050 MHz are also presented in Figure 4.4. For the 900-MHz excitation, a larger surface current distribution observed for the longer path along the outer sub-patch. This suggests that the outer sub-patch is the major radiating element for the proposed antenna at the 900-MHz band, and the outer sub-patch is operated as a quarter-wavelength structure. For the 1800-, 1900-, and 2050-MHz operation, it is observed that the surface current distribution in the inner sub-patch gradually increases. This also indicates that the inner sub-patch is the major radiating element for the higher operating frequencies of the antennas upper band, especially in the 2050-MHz band, and is also operated as a quarter-wavelength structure. As for the lower operating frequencies of the antennas upper band, it is largely related to the outer sub-patch operated as a half-wavelength structure. This can be explained that the current distributions in the outer sub-patch are larger for the 1800- and 1900-MHz operations than for the 2050-MHz operation.

Figure 4.5 Measured radiation patterns for the proposed antenna at:
(a) 900 MHz and (b) 1800 MHz

37

Figure 4.6 Measured radiation patterns for the proposed antenna at:
(a) 1900 MHz and (b) 2050 MHz

Figure 4.5 and 4.6 plot the measured radiation patterns in the xy plane (azimuthal direction) and yz plane (elevation direction) for the proposed antenna at 900, 1800, 1900, and 2050 MHz. Although the obtained radiation patterns are not as good as those of a conventional simple monopole antenna having a very good azimuthal omni-directional pattern and null radiation along the antenna axis ( =0), the proposed antenna in general shows a monopole-like radiation pattern.

38

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Figure 4.7 Measured antenna gain for the proposed antenna.

(a) The GSM band (890960 MHz). (b) The DCS band (17101880 MHz). (c) The PCS band (18501990 MHz). (d) The UMTS band (19202170 MHz).

Figure 4.7 shows the measured antenna gain against frequency for the proposed antenna. For the 900-MHz band, a peak antenna gain of about 2.9 dB is observed, with gain variations less than 1.5 dB. For the 1800-, 1900-, and 2050-MHz bands, the peak antenna gain observed is 3.0, 3.4, and 3.4 dB, respectively, and the gain variations are also less than 1.5 dB.

39

4.3

The Proposed Antenna Design

4.3.1

The Design Specifications

The proposed antenna design was chosen as the basis as it is able to facilitate multi-band operations. Thus, as our objective in the operation frequency bands is to able to operate at GSM-900 ( Global System for Mobile Communications, 880-960 MHz) DSC-1800 ( Digital Communication System, 1710-1880 MHz) PCS-1900 (Personal Communication Services, 1850-1990MHz) UMTS-2000 ( Universal Mobile Telecommunication System, 19202170MHz)

At the first stage of work, concentration will be on DCS-1800, PCS-1900 and UMTS-2000 where f01 = 1.8 GHz f02 = 1.9 GHz f03 = 2 GHz

At the second stage of work, the antenna would be concentrate to other frequency bands like f04 = 0.9 GHz f05 = 1.575 GHz f06 = 2.4 GHz

40 Besides, the specifications for FR4 substrate are as below: Dielectric constant, r =4.7 Height, h= 1.6mm Loss tangent = 0.019

4.3.2

Antenna Structure

The proposed antenna for this project is shown in figure 4.8. Compared with the low-profile planar monopole antenna in figure 4.2, the dimensions of the antenna have been change in the result of the thickness of the FR4 substrate available in laboratory is 1.6mm while in the proposed design the thickness of the FR4 substrate is 0.4mm. The changes in dimensions are made because the effect of varies thickness of the substrate cannot be negligible.

In order to start develop the rectangular patch antenna, the dimension of width, W and length, L with the substrate thickness 1.6mm is calculated using the formula stated in last chapter. The calculations are as below:

41

i) For Radiating Patch

ii) For inner sub-patch and outer sub-patch

(3.14) For low frequency, (For outer sub-patch) Resonant frequency, fr = 900 MHz

o =
-0.5

c fo

(3.15) = =2.789
-0.5

= 0.3333m = 333.33mm

o = 83.33mm
84mm

Extended increment length, For high frequency, (3.17) (For inner sub-patch) Resonant frequency, fr = 1.9 GHz

o =

c fo

o = 39.47mm
Actual length, (3.16) / (2x1.9Gx =47.2mm-1.58mm = 45.62mm -2(0.79) 40mm

42 From the calculation, the width of the radiating patch is W=48mm, while the length of the radiating patch is L= 46mm. The new proposed antenna design is shown in figure 4.8.

Ground

Figure 4.8 Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 1)

Meanwhile, several designs are proposed. This is to compare the performance of each design. Figure 4.9 and 4.10 are design by changing the location of the transmission line. The dimensions of the radiating path keep unchanged.

Ground

Figure 4.9 Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 2)

43

Ground

Figure 4.10 Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 3)

On the other hand, an effort of shorten the inner sub-patch have been done in order to show the effect of dimension changed. The design is shown in figure 4.11 and 4.12.

Ground

Figure 4.11 Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 4)

44

Ground

Figure 4.12 Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 5)

Beside the above five designs which have changes in location of the transmission line and the dimensions of the inner sub-patch, figure 4.13 show another design which has a fix 3mm in width for its transmission line and radiating path.

Ground

Figure 4.13 Proposed Multi-band Microstrip Antenna (Design 6)

45

4.4

The Simulation Software

Microwave Office is used as the principle electromagnetic simulation software package for designing the antenna for this project. Furthermore, verify the operation of the antenna at the prescribed frequencies in term of return loss and radiation pattern.

4.5

The Fabrication Process

After finalization of the designs, fabrication process took place to produce the prototypes. The top patch of the antenna is made from FR4, where etching process is needed to remove unwanted portion of the copper layer. Lastly, a 50ohm SMA connector is used to feed the antenna.

The fabrication process of the antennas needs extra attention as slight changes of the parameters will affect the overall performance of the antennas. The fabrication process involved laminator thermal transfer process, etching and soldering. Figure 4.14 shows the etching machine used in the fabrication process.

Human errors during fabrication such as inaccurate dimensioning, imperfect etching and improper soldering are the major cause of frequency shifting. A slight difference of 0.5mm will result in very much difference in antenna performance.

46

Figure 4.14 Etching Machine

4.6

The Measurement Stage

After the fabrication process, measurement is done to collect required data such as return loss. The return loss of the antenna is measured using Marconi Instrument in Wireless Communication Laboratory.

Figure 4.15 Marconi Test Equipment

CHAPTER 5

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

5.1

Introduction

The fundamental aim of this project is to produce the antenna which could cover several frequency bands. Previously, monopole antenna design was adapted. With the demand for compact handheld communication devices have grown significantly, build-in microstrip antenna design is applied for the miniaturization and to provide good coverage of the device.

The performance of the antennas were analyzed in two different ways, first is the simulations results and then the measured results.

Microwave Office is a powerful simulation tool that is able to generate not only return loss but the radiation pattern as well. Therefore, to verify the antenna designs, simulations are done beforehand. The return loss generated in Microwave Office was then compared with the measured results.

48

5.2

Return Loss

5.2.1

The Simulation Return Loss

In telecommunication, return loss is the ratio, at the junction of a transmission line and terminating impedance or other discontinuity, of the amplitude of the reflected wave to the amplitude of the incident wave. The return loss value describes the reduction in the amplitude of the reflected energy, as compared to the forward energy.

For antenna, return loss have to be as small as possible in the operating frequency range. A value of less than -10dB (which is mean 10 percent of the total power has been reflected and 90 percent of the total power has been transmitted) is required for good performance.

Figure 5.1 The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design1)

49

Figure 5.2 The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design2)

Figure 5.3 The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design3)

50

Figure 5.4 The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design4)

Figure 5.5 The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design5)

51

Figure 5.6 The Simulated Return Loss for Designed Antenna (Design6)

Table 5.1 Comparison of Return Loss between the six proposed antenna designs

S11 0.9GHz dB Design1 Design2 Design3 Design4 Design5 Design6

-13.18 -14.41 -11.23 -13.94 -15.19 -5.121

1.575GHz dB
-11.33 -15.66 -13.65 -13.44 -12.86 -13.49

1.8GHz dB
-11.02 -12.96 -16.98 -17.42 -15.95 -7.808

1.9GHz dB
-10.69 -13.23 -17.69 -21.87 -19.58 -9.555

2GHz dB
-10.84 -14.21 -18.66 -25.51 -23.88 -12.69

2.4GHz dB
-14.25 -15.85 -21.35 -20.18 -20.98 -11.28

From table 5.1, it could clearly see that Design 1 until Design5 give a return loss below -10dB (SWR=2) for all the frequency bands such as 0.9GHz, 1.575GHz, 1.8GHZ, 1.9GHz, 2GHz and 2.4GHz. For Design6, it gives a return loss below -8dB

52 where it has approximately 15 percent of the total power has been reflected. Therefore, the power that transmitted using Design6 is definitely lower than the power transmitted using the other five designs proposed.

The different in antenna design structure for Design1 and Design2 is just the location of the transmission line where the transmission line for Design 1 is located at the left while in Design2; it has been change to the right side. Thus, signal is fed into the radiating path through the edge of the transmission line. In the view for return loss, Design gives a better performance compared to Design1. As from the simulation results, Design2 has the deeper valley, which leads Design2 to have a greater value in return loss.

Design structure of Design1, Design2 and Design3 basically are the same as they are having the same radiating patch dimension except the location and the structure of the transmission line. Referring the simulation result obtained, Design 3 is the best design among these three designs. This is due to it having the greatest return loss value, where the greater the value of the return loss, the better the device will perform; most of the power will be transmitted. Thus, Design3 will be having the least percentage of the power reflected at the higher frequency (1.8GHz, 1.9GHz, 2GHz and 2.4GHz). As for the lower frequency bands (0.9GHz and 1.575GHz), Design 2 perform better compared to others.

Basically, Design1, 2, and 3 fulfilled the requirement of -10dB in their return loss. These three designs could be operate at all the frequency bands (GSM, GPS, DCS, PCS, UMTS and WLAN), where it achieved the specifications of this project. In the other hand, if the system operates frequently at the lower frequency, it is suggested Design 2 is used as the design perform well at the lower frequency. Design 3 is preferable to operate at higher frequency, as it will give a promising return loss.

53 Design4 and Design5 are the designs that proposed with a shorter inner path. Compared to Design1, 2 and 3, obviously Design4 and 5 have better performance in return loss. Generally, Design4 and 5 work well in all the frequency bands. Design4 have stable performance in return loss through out the frequency band. In details, antenna with Design5 performed better at the lower frequency while antenna with Design4 performs well at higher frequency.

For antenna with Design6, at frequency 0.9GHZ, 1.8GHz and 1.9GHz, it gives a return loss range between -8dB and -10dB. At these frequency bands, the power reflected increase to 15 percent, where only 85 percent of the power is being transmitted. But, at 1.575GHz, 2GHz and 2.4GHz, the return loss obtained is 13.49dB, -12.69dB and -11.28dB; Overall, Design6 still not having a good performance in return loss, thus some modification still needed.

Since all of the proposed antennas presented well in the return loss, Design1, Design3 and Design6 are chosen to be fabricated.

5.2.2

The Measured Return Loss

Two sets of antennas have been fabricated. The first set is fabricated using copper tape while second set is fabricated by etching. Each set consists three antennas: Design1, Design3 and Design6; thus, six antennas have been fabricated. The measurements on return loss have been done by using Marconi Test Equipment in Wireless Communication Center (WCC).

54

5.2.2.1 The Measured Return Loss of Antenna (Set One)

Set one antenna is fabricated using single sided board where the adhesive copper tape is used to form the radiating patch at the side without copper surface while the ground plane is obtained through etching the copper surface. The results of the return loss are as follows:

Figure 5.7 The Measured Return Loss (Set One Design1)

55

Figure 5.8 The Measured Return Loss (Set One Design3)

Figure 5.9 The Measured Return Loss (Set One Design6)

The return loss value for Design1 and Design3 range between-1dB and -5dB, which indicate a poor return loss for this set of antenna where almost 50 percent of the power has been reflected. Thus, this set of prototype antenna is not suitable for practical use. From the measured result for the Design6, its shows almost 0dB at all

56 of the frequency that this antenna should cover for, which indicate that all of the power that transmits is being reflected.

From the experimental findings, the measured results are un-complying with the simulation results. This would caused by the inaccurate dimensions of the antenna size and the dimensions of the radiating path. Besides, the soldering point that meant to join the edge of the copper tape causing some discontinuity, thus, it contribute some losses to the antenna. Moreover, aluminum SMA connectors are used in this prototype, which it is less conductive than copper SMA connectors are another factor that leads to the un-complying results.

Since measured return loss for the antennas fabricated are un-complying, another set of antenna (Set Two) is fabricated in order to obtain a better return loss.

5.2.2.2 The Measured Return Loss of Antenna (Set Two)

Set two antenna is fabricated using copper SMA connectors and by etching the copper surface of the double sided board for the radiating patch and the ground plane. The results of the return loss for the re-fabricated antennas are as follows:

57

3.1GHz -17.07dB

3.8GHz -12.75dB

Figure 5.10 The Measured Return Loss (Set Two Design1)

Figure 5.11 The Measured Return Loss (Set Two Design3)

58

Figure 5.12 The Measured Return Loss (Set Two Design6)

The measured return loss for all of the designs has the graph contour similar to the simulation return loss. For overall performance, the measured return losses for set two antenna have some improvement.

From Figure 5.10, the measured return loss for Design1, although do not have satisfy result at 0.9GHz, 1.8GHz, 1.9GHZ, 2GHz and 2.4GHZ, but good return loss are obtained at 1.5Hz, 3.1GHz and 3.8GHz which gives -9.60dB, -17.07dB and 12.75dB respectively. The same condition happens for Design3, where the measured result has good return loss at 1.6GHz, 3.1GHz and 3.2GHz. While Design6 have a good value for return loss -11.63dB at 2GHz, and an extremely good return loss 21.27dB at 3.7GHz where only one percent of the power being reflected.

The measured result of the set two antenna clearly showed that frequency shifting occurred. All the graphs showed the frequency is shifted to the right. Impedance matching is the main factor that contribute to the frequency shifting, where the antenna are not match properly. Moreover, inaccurate dimension of the antenna and the improper etching would also contribute some losses.

59 From the Return Loss simulations, the graph contour for Design1 and Design2 indicates a wide-bandwidth property, while Design3 depicts a multiband property. Thus, it can be inferred that the width of patch renders a wide-bandwidth.

5.3

Radiation Pattern

The radiation pattern is a graphical depiction of the relative field strength transmitted from or received by the antenna. Antenna radiation patterns are taken at one frequency, one polarization, and one plane cut. The patterns are usually presented in polar or rectilinear form with a dB strength scale. Patterns are normalized to the maximum graph value, 0 dB, and directivity is given for the antenna.

The radiation pattern for the chosen fabricated designs are obtained and shown in the figures below:

Figure 5.13 The Radiation Pattern for 1.8 GHz Band (Design1)

60

Figure 5.14 The Radiation Pattern for 1.8 GHz Band (Design3)

Figure 5.15 The Radiation Pattern for 1.8 GHz Band (Design6)

61 Most of the radiation patterns give an Omni-directional radiation, which indicate the radiation is in all the directions; the signal radiate backward and front. It is desirable for mobile application due to most of the receiving signal come from all the directions.

5.4

Antennas Prototype

The fabrication process is very complex as any tiny shift in the fabrication will shift the resonant frequency. Besides, return loss which is the parameter to determine the multi-band that allow the antenna to operate at certain band, is very sensitive to the dimension changes. Moreover, the sharpness at the cutting edge of the patch and antenna also would cause some discrepancy in the return loss measured.

The antennas have been fabricated successfully with the results as discussed in previous section, figures below show the prototype of the set one and set two fabricated antennas.

Figure 5.16 The Fabricated Antenna Design1 (Set One)

62

Figure 5.17 The Fabricated Antenna Design3 (Set One)

Figure 5.18 The Fabricated Antenna Design6 (Set One)

Figure 5.19 The Fabricated Antenna Design1 (Set Two)

63

Figure 5.20 The Fabricated Antenna Design3 (Set Two)

Figure 5.21 The Fabricated Antenna Design6 (Set Two)

CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1

Conclusions

The success and rapid growth of cellular system has been foremost in establishing a critical need for design technique that will greatly increase mobile communication capacity and flexibility, to deliver the new much sought-after services. To meet these critical needs system designer have made advances on many research front such as improve techniques for efficient signal processing, more precise propagation predication methods, and physically compact and higher performance antenna to improve all possible areas of the performance of mobile phones. As mobile phones continue to shrink in size, there is an overwhelming need to miniaturize and improve the performance of the antenna. Microstrip antennas help to address the above concerns.

However, antenna design techniques, such as developing an antenna that can operate at multiple frequencies as well as being conformal in design, offer some potential in further dealing with the deficiencies of the modern mobile phone antenna. The purpose of this thesis was to develop a multi-band microstrip antenna and investigate the effects of conformality on the antenna.

65

The main objective of this thesis is achieved with new antennas designed that operate at four frequency band where it can be integrated with any handheld devices given its low profile and small size characteristics. This has been done through a very complex and time-consuming process where the problems were faces constantly. In this thesis, the microstrip multiband antenna has been analyzed both theoretically and experimentally through computer simulations and hardware measurement.

The multiband and wide-bandwidth antennas for mobile handset which would operate in different frequency bands has been proposed and fabricated. And, the antennas have been successfully implemented, though discrepancies occur between simulated and measured results.

6.2

Recommendations for the future work

The future work is proposed to have further improvement in the antenna performance. There are discrepancies between simulated and measured results are caused by human errors that might occur during fabrication processes. Thus, further development is needed to further improve the fabrication processes. The fabrication process may involve laminator thermal transfer process, etching and soldering.

Besides, a few of prototypes should be fabricated in order to get a good result in the measurement of the antenna as it is difficult to get a good result in just a fabrication process; experience and knowledge is needed.

66 Moreover, in the future, the antenna can be developing for tracking system application such as GPS which operate at 1.575GHz.

REFERENCES

[1]

K.L.Wong, Design of Nonplanar Microstrip Antennas and Transmission

Lines, JohnWiley & Sons, New York, NY, 1999. [2] K.L.Wong, Comapct and Broadband Microstrip Antenna, JohnWiley & Sons,

New York, USA, 2002. [3] IEEE Transactions on Antenns and Propagations, vols. AP-17, No. 3, May

1969; AP-22, No.1, January 1974; and AP-31, No.6, Part II, November 1983. [4] Bahl, I.J. and Bhartia, P. (1980). Microstrip Antenna. Dedham,

Massachusetts: Artech House Inc. [5] Allan W. S., "Understanding Microwave," Second Edition, New York, John

Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1993. [6] Teng P. L., and Wong K. L., "Planar Monopole Folded into a Compact

Structure for Very Low Profile Multi-band Mobile Phone Antenna," Microwave Opt. Technol. Lett., vol. 33, pp. 22-25, April 5, 2002. [7] Pozar D., "Microwave Engineering," Second Edition, New York, John Wiley

& Sons, Inc., 1998. [8] Balanis C., "Antenna Theory Analysis and Design," Second Edition, United

Stated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997.

68 [9] Kin-Lu Wong, Gwo_Yun Lee, Tzung-Wern Chiou, A Low-Profile Planar

Monopole Antenna for Multiband Operation of Mobile Handsets, IEEE

Transcations on Antenna and Propagation, Vol. 51, No.1, January 2003.

[10] E. Lee, P. S. Hall, and P. Gardner, Compact Wideband Planar Monopole

Antenna, Electron. Lett., vol. 35, pp. 21572158, Dec. 1999. [11] Xu Jing, Zhengwei Du andKe Gong, A Compact Multiband Planar Antenna

for Mobile Handsets [12] P. P. Hammoud and F. Colonel, Matching The Input Impedance of A

Broadband Disc Monopole , Electron. Lett, vol.29, pp. 406-407, Feb. 1993. [13] E. Lee, P. S. Hall, and P. Gardner, Dual Band Folder Monopole/Loop

Antenna for Terrestrial Communication System, Electron. Lett, vol.36, pp. 19901991, Nov 2000.

69

APPENDIX A

DESIGNING PROCEDURES USING MICROWAVE OFFICE

1. Right click the EM structure to open a new EM structure.

2. Enter a name for the EM structure, and click the create button. 3. Click the enclosure, to enter the substrate information. Change the tab to enter parameter for dielectric layer and boundaries.

70

4. Use Rectangular Conductor to draw the rectangular patch or ground plane.

71 5. To simulate the return loss, create a graph and select Rectangular graph type. Right click the graph name to add return loss measurement.

6. To enter the frequency of the simulation, use Project Option.

72 7. Click the Analyze icon to simulate the return loss for this antenna design.

8.

Finally, the simulation window will come out. The result will be display once the simulation is finished.

73

APPENDIX B

RETURN LOSS MEASUREMENT

Design1 (Set One)

Design3 (Set One)

Design6 (Set One)

74

Design1 (Set Two)

Design3 (Set Two)

Design6 (Set Two)

75

APPENDIX C

C.1

Equipment Used for Antenna Testing

Marconi Test Equipment

76

C.2

Equipment Used for PCB Fabrication

PCB Cutting Equipment

Laminator Thermal Transfer Machine

Etching Machine

77

APPENDIX D

COMPONENTS AND PRICE LIST

There are components that are not available in the laboratory and in Store FKE, below are the components that have ordered for the fabrication of the antenna designs.

Company

Address

Component
SMA

Price per piece

RM 14 RM 30 RM 70.50

Quantity
3 3 1 TOTAL

RM
42 90 70.50 202.50

Farnell (M) Sdn. Bhd.

http: //my.farnell.com

Connector Copper Tape