U-Slot Loaded Microstrip Patch Antenna for Broadband Operation

Ram Brij Ram* and J. A. Ansaari+

*+Department of Electronics and Communication
University of Allahabad
E-mail: nishad_rambrij@rediffmail.com, jaansari@rediffmail.com

Abstract-- A U-slot loaded microstrip patch
antenna is analyzed using circuit theory concept.
It is found that broadband behaviour of the
antenna is achieved due to the effect of U-slot
inserted into the patch. The optimized antenna
shows operational frequency band of 1.63 GHz
with impedance bandwidth of 34.72 %. A
comparison between theoretical and simulated
results is also presented.
Key-words: broad band, microstrip antenna, patch
antenna, U-slot
1. INTRODUCTION
Microstrip antennas have become attractive
candidates in a variety of commercial applications
such as mobile and satellite communications.
Traditionally, microstrip antennas suffer from low
bandwidth characteristic. But many of
communication systems require wide bandwidth
which is not provided by the conventional microstrip
antenna. Hence serious efforts started among the
scientific community to remove its inherent
drawback of narrow bandwidth. There are numerous
and well known methods to increase the band width
of the antennas including: the use of the substrate
thickness [1], the use of low dielectric substrate [1],
the use of various impedance matching and feeding
techniques [2], the use of multiple resonators [3-5]
and the use of slot antenna geometry [6-8]. Among
these, the use of multiple resonators in stacked or
coplanar antenna geometries is very promising
method to enhance impedance bandwidth. However,
the stacked geometry increases the thickness of the
antenna on one hand and the coplanar geometry
increases its lateral size on the other hand. Therefore,
these geometries are not preferred for most of the
modern wireless communication systems that require
single layer single patch broadband microstrip
antenna.
Huynh and Lee [1], in 1995, experimentally
reported that the impedance bandwidth of single-
layer single-patch microstrip antenna could exceed
30 % if U-slot is cut into the patch. But the main
disadvantage of this antenna is its electrical thickness
which causes additional inductive component
associated with the input impedance. In this
endeavor, therefore, U-slot loaded microstrip patch
antenna with reduced thickness and wider bandwidth
is presented. The theoretical investigation was carries
out using circuit theory concept based on modal
expansion cavity model. The results so obtained are
compared with IE3D simulated [**] and
experimental results; the details which are given in
the following sections:
II. ANTENNA GEOMETRY AND
THEORETICAL FORMULATIONS
The geometrical configuration of the U-slot
loaded microstrip patch antenna is shown in Fig. 1.
The proposed antenna consists of a rectangular patch
of length L =36 mm and width W =26 mm. The
rectangular patch is printed on a dielectric substrate

(foam) of constant  r =1.03 and thickness h =5 mm.

A U-slot of side length Ls =20 mm, base-length

Ws =12 mm and slot width T =2 mm is incorporated

in the middle of the patch so that the side-arms are
symmetrically positioned with respect to the feed
point. The feed point ( X 0 , Y0 ) is determined with

respect to the center of the patch as (0,-1.8). A simple

microstrip patch antenna can be modeled as a simple (b)
LC-resonant circuit [9]. When U-slot is incorporated Fig. 1 Antenna geometry (a) top view (b) side view
into the patch, the resonance feature is changed as
shown in Fig. 2. The part of the patch enclosed by the
U-slot has current distribution like normal patch and
it resonates at a certain frequency. However, for the
part of the patch beyond the U-slot, the current has to
flow around the side and base arms of U-slot which
causes lengthened current path. As a result, currents
along the edges of U-slot introduce an additional
resonance in conjunction of the main patch. This
additional resonance frequency is determined by
L2C2; here L2 and C2 are inductance and capacitance
of the patch with U-slot. Thus U-slot loaded patch
has two resonance frequencies. If these two
resonances appear in one operational frequency band,
antenna will show broadband characteristic.

Fig. 2. Current distribution at frequency 4.51 GHz

According to modal expansion cavity model a

microstrip patch is considered as a parallel
(a) combination of capacitance, inductance and
resistance. Therefore, the equivalent circuit for main
patch is as shown in Fig. 3 (a), in which C1 , L1 and

R1 are capacitance, inductance and resistance of the

main patch. The circuit parameters are calculated as
[9]. The impedance of the main patch without U-slot
can be derived as
(c)
1 Fig. 3 Equivalent circuits of (a) fed patch without U-
ZP  (1)
1 1
 j C1  slot, (b) U-slot and (c) U-slot loaded patch
R1 jL1
The U-slot cut in the lower patch can be considered Further, the U-slot loaded microstrip patch
as a combination of three narrow slots joint together antenna can be considered as a parallel combination
in the form of U-shape. Using duality relationship of of impedances of the patch and the impedance of U-
dipole and slot, the equivalent circuit of U-slot can be slot as shown in Fig. 3(c), therefore, the impedance
represented as shown in Fig. 3(b) [10]. Here, RUH , of the U-slot loaded microstrip patch antenna can be
derived as
X UH and RUV , X UV are radiation resistance and
Z P ZU
reactive component of the base-arm and side-arm of Z 1n  jL p  (3)
Z P  ZU
the U-slot that can be calculated as [10]. Therefore,
from the equivalent circuit of U-slot shown in Fig.3 where L p is the inductance due to co-axial probe of
(b), the impedance of the U-slot can be derived as 50 ohm.
2 Z UV Z UH The return loss of the antenna can be calculated as
ZU  (2)
Z UV  2 Z UH
RL  20 log  (4)

Z in  Z 0
where 
Z in  Z 0

where Z0 is the input impedance of the coaxial feed

(50 Ω)
(a)
The radiation pattern of U-slot microstrip

patch antenna can be calculated as [11]

  k0W 
 sin sin sin  
jk0WVe jk0r  2 
E( )  cos(kh cos )
r  k0W 
 sin sin 
(b)  2 
(5)
 k0 Le 
 cos sin sin  cos
 2 

where 0   
2
   k0W 
sin sin sin   -2
jk0WVe jk0r  2 
E( )   cos(khcos )
r  k0W 
 sin sin  -4
 2 
(6) Theoretical
 k0 Le  Simulated
 cos sin sin  cos sin -6
 2 


R e tu rn lo s s (d B )
where0    -8
2
-10
where V is radiating edge voltage, r is the distance of

an arbitrary point, and k  k 0 r -12

-14

-16
III. CALCULATIONS AND DISCUSSION OF 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6
Frequency (GHz)
RESULTS
Fig.4 Variation of return loss with frequency
The calculation for variation of return loss
with frequency were carried out using equations (3- 0

4), the resulting data are shown in Fig. 4. It is

observed that there exist two resonance frequencies at -5
Theoretical
R ela tiv e R adia tiv e P ow e r (dB )

4.108 GHz and 5.17 GHz. The two resonances are so Simulated
-10
closely spaced that the antenna gives broadband
characteristics. The calculated operational frequency -15

band ranges from 3.88 GHz to 5.51 GHz (i.e. band of

-20
163.6 MHz) and antenna shows bandwidth 34.72 %.
On the other hand, the simulated [12] return loss -25

curve shows frequency band of 154.8 MHz with

-30
bandwidth of 33.04 %. The theoretical result is in -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80
Angle (degree)
good agreement with the simulated result. Similar
results were reported experimentally by Lee et al [6] Fig. 5 Radiation pattern at frequency 4.517 GHz

and Huynh et al [8]. Very small errors appear in the The calculations for radiation pattern for the

resonance frequencies and the bandwidth due to U-slot microstrip patch antenna at frequency 4.517

approximation in calculations of the impedances of GHz were done using equations (5-6), the data so

the patch and the U-slot. obtained are shown in Fig.5. It is noted that the
calculated radiation pattern is also almost similar to
the simulated radiation pattern. Antenna shows gain
of 5.37 dBi to 9.02 dBi in the operation frequency
band. As shown in Fig. 6.
 10
antenna,” MIcrow. Opt. Tech. Lett., vol. 50, no.

9
8, pp. 2059-2063, 2008.
8
[5] Z. F. Liu, P. S. Kooi, L. W. Li, M. S. Leong and
7 T. S. Yeo, “A method for designing broad band
Gain (dBi)

6 microstrip antennas in multilayered planar

5 structures”, IEEE Trans. Antenna Propag., vol.
4 47, no. 9, pp. 1416-1420, Sept. 1999.
3 [6] K. F. Lee, K. M. Luk, K. F. Tong, S. M. Shum,
2
3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 T. Huynh and R. Q. Lee, “Experimental and
Frequency (GHz)
simulation studies of the co-axially fed U-slot
Fig.6 Variation of gain with frequency
rectangular patch antenna”, IEE Proc. Microw.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
Antenna Propag., vol. 144, no. 5, pp. 354-358,
It is, therefore, concluded that the existence of
1997.
two resonance frequencies provides broad band
[7] R. Bhalla and L. Shafai, “Resonance behavior of
characteristic to the U-slot microstrip patch antenna.
single U-slot and dual U-slot antenna”, IEEE
The optimized antenna can be made to operate with
Antenna and Propagat. Society Int. Symp., vol.
bandwidth of 34.72 % in frequency band from 3.88
2, pp. 700-703, July 2001.
GHz to 5.17 GHz.
[8] T. Huynh and k. F. Lee, “Single layer single
patch wideband microstrip antenna”, Electronics
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