Compact dielectric impulse radiating antenna with a flat feed arm structure for low-frequency gain enhancement

Abstract

A compact dielectric impulse radiating antenna (IRA) with flat coplanar conical plate (CCP) feed arms was proposed for low-frequency gain enhancement. An empirical equation was proposed to predict the characteristic impedance of the CCP arms submerged in a dielectric half-space. The predicted value was used to determine the termination resistors that connect the feed arms to the reflector. Both the dielectric-filled and conventional air-filled IRAs were fabricated, and their performances were measured. The gain of the proposed dielectric-filled IRA is shown to be higher at frequencies lower than 3 GHz, where the diameter of the reflector is one wavelength. A compact dielectric impulse radiating antenna (IRA) with flat coplanar conical plate (CCP) feed arms is proposed for low-frequency gain enhancement. An empirical equation predicts the characteristic impedance of dielectric-submerged CCP arms, determining termination resistors connecting feed arms to the reflector. A comparison of measurements between dielectric-filled and air-filled IRAs shows higher gain for the proposed dielectric-filled IRA below 3 GHz, where the reflector diameter is one wavelength.image