Tilt Beam Characteristic by Changing Length of Finite-Sized Square Dielectric Substrate of One Arm Rectangular Spiral Antenna

Chang won Jung and Franco De Flaviis Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA, 92697, USA Abstract: Tilt beam characteristic by changing the length of finite-sized square dielectric substrate of one
arm rectangular spiral antenna has been investigated. Rectangular spiral is printed on a finite sized dielectric substrate (r=3.27) backed by a finite-sized conducting plane. Rectangular spiral radiates in Right Handed Circular Polarization (RHCP). Horizontal spiral arm length (HL) is varied from HL=0.8o to HL=5.2o to choose the length that yields the proper axial ratio and gain. HL is chosen to be three values: HL1=1.16o, HL2=2.63o and HL3=4.64o. HL1 radiates axial beam whereas HL2 and HL3 radiates tilt beams. By changing square dielectric substrate length (SL), maximum beam direction on the elevation angle has been tilted more to the higher elevation angle with HL2 and HL3 fixed. Half Power Beam Width (HPBW) in the elevation angle when = maximum gain direction of RHCP is decreased by increasing square dielectric substrate length.

Introduction: Spiral antenna was previously investigated [1-3]. The main characteristics of spiral antenna are broad bandwidth and wide beam-width. Another feature of spiral antenna is tilt beam characteristic by changing its horizontal arm length [2]. To obtain a tilt beam, the outermost periphery of the spiral must be more than 2g, where g is the guided wavelength [3]. The tilted beam is obtained by superposing radiation field between first active region (Circumference of Spiral antenna =1g) and the second active region (Circumference of Spiral antenna =2g) on radiation field. The phase correlation between first and second active region makes a tilted beam [3]. It has an advantage on changing beam forming in communication system. In this paper, tilt beam forms by changing the length of finite-size square dielectric substrate of one arm rectangular spiral antenna in fixed horizontal arm length. This characteristic is another tilt beam characteristic of one arm spiral antenna. To get this characteristic, the outermost periphery of the spiral must be more than 2g, since tilt beam forms when outermost periphery is more than 2g. In the same outermost periphery of more than 2g and the same horizontal arm length, tilt beam is made to the higher elevation angle with Z-axis by increasing the length of finite-size square dielectric substrate. Radiation pattern as a function of dielectric substrate length is investigated before [5]. Half Power Beam Width (HPBW) is slightly sharper by changing small side length to larger side length [5]. This characteristic is also shown by increasing the side length of square dielectric substrate. This tilt beam characteristic by changing the length of square dielectric substrate of one arm spiral antenna is more desirable for the higher beam tilt degree, when there is limitation on the horizontal arm length. Configuration: Figure 1 shows a single-arm rectangular spiral antenna. The horizontal spiral arm is printed on the dielectric substrate and connected to direct coaxial feeding. Dielectric substrate has permittivity, r=3.27, with thickness, H=3.175mm = 0.105o, where 1o=30mm is the wavelength in free space at the test frequency of 10 GHz. Width of spiral arm is 0.5mm = 0.0165o. Rectangular spiral arm length is increased in the following way: Ao, 2Ao, 2Ao, 3Ao, 3Ao.(M-1)Ao, MAo, where Ao is unit length of rectangular spiral and M is integer [2]. In this paper, unit length, Ao, is 0.0526o=1.58mm. Arm length is increased to right handed direction to get Right Hand Circular Polarization (RHCP). Rectangular spiral is fed by a coaxial line. Horizontal spiral arm lengths (HL),

HL1=1.16o, HL2=2.63o and HL3=4.64o, are determined from its 3-dB axial ratio criterion and gain in Figure 3. HL1 radiates axial beam whereas HL2 and HL3 radiate tilt beam of RHCP. For the same horizontal spiral arm length (HL), square dielectric substrate length (SL) is varied from SL=0.6o to SL=2o to investigate tilt beam direction. Analysis and Computational result: The analysis is performed by using 3D-full wave analysis, HFSS, based on Finite Element Method (FEM). Return loss, axial ratio, gain and radiation pattern for Circular Polarization(CP) are computed. Figure 2 shows calculated and measured return losses of substrate length when SL=1.3o and HL=2.63o. Both return losses are under 15dB at 10GHz. Figure 3 shows axial ratio and gain at =90. HL1=1.16o, HL2=2.63o and HL3=4.64o are determined from 3-dB axial ratio criterion. Axial ratio is 1.9dB and gain is 5dBi for HL1. For HL2, Axial ratio is 2.1dB and gain is 5dBi. Also, axial ratio is 1.3dB and gain is 3.8dBi for HL3. Axial ratio of circular polarization fluctuates more than gain from 1.3dB to 9.5dB by changing spiral arm length. This response is not on the =maximum direction. Axial ratio and gain are more constant in =maximum direction than =90. Axial ratio and gain are calculated for =90 to use it on one of the quadrate cuts (0, 90, 180, 270) on the azimuth plane. In this paper, =90 cut is used, since =90 of quadrate cuts is closer to =maximum direction than other quadrate cuts. Figure 4 shows that tilt beam direction changes by changing SL for HL2=2.63o and HL3=4.64o. By changing the length of square dielectric substrate from SL=0.6o to SL=2.0o, HL2 has tilted max beam direction from =30 to =50.4 and HL3 has tilted max beam direction from =39.6 to =75.6 for =90. For =Maximum gain direction, HL2 has tilted max beam direction from =32.4 to =57.6 and HL3 has tilted max beam direction from =36 to =60 as substrate length changes from SL=0.6o to SL=2.0o as shown in figure 4 (b). Both of two cuts, =90 and =maximum direction, have the same tilt beam change of 20 to 30 in elevation angle by changing SL from 0.6o to 2.0o. Tilt beam correlates with dielectric substrate length in the same horizontal arm length, since second active region (Circumference of spiral antenna =2g) on radiation field has more correlation with ground plane of superposing radiation field as substrate length is increased. Figure 6 and 7 show radiation gain pattern and maximum beam direction of three different substrate lengths (SL), SL=0.6o, 1.3o and 2.0o on =90 and =maximum direction. In axial beam, the change in beam direction is immune, related to the change in substrate length. Axial beam, however, is not exactly on the z-axis, since spiral is slightly unsymmetrical from the z-axis. The change in tilt beam by changing the substrate length forms, when the circumference of spiral is more than 2g. Figure 5 shows Half Power Beam Width (HPBW) by changing the substrate length (SL) from SL=0.6o to SL=2.0o for HL2=2.63o and HL3=4.64o on =Max gain direction. HPBW tends to decrease around from 80 to 40 when SL is increased in both HL2 and HL3. Conclusion: One arm rectangular spiral has wide bandwidth, over 10GHz. Three different horizontal spiral arm lengths (HL1 = 1.16 o, HL2 = 2.63 o, and HL3= 4.64 o) are determined from its 3-dB axial ratio criterion. HL2 and HL3 are selected and have tilt beam characteristic. These tilt beams have more beam tilts (20 ~ 30) in both =90 and =Maximum gain direction by increasing the substrate length from SL=0.6o to SL=2.0o on the radiation of RHCP. The change in tilt beam by changing the substrate length forms only when the circumference of spiral is more than 2g. Half Power Beam Width (HPBW) tends to decrease from 80 to 43 when SL is increased.

References:
[1] R. Bawer and J.J Wolfe, The spiral Antenna, IRE International Convention Record, Pt. T, pp. 84-95, May, 1960. [2] Hisamatsu Nakano, Jun Eto, Yosuke Okabe, and Junji Yamauchi, Tilted- and Axial-Beam Formation by a Single-Arm Rectangular Spiral Antenna With Compact Dielectric Substrate and Conducting Plane, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagation, vol. 50, no. 1, Jan., 2002. [3] H. Nakano, Y. Shinma, and J. Yamauchi, A monofilar spiral antenna and its array above a ground plane Formation of a circularly polarized tilted fan beam, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagation, vol. 45, pp. 1506 1511, Oct., 1997. [4] Hisamatsu Nakano, Hajime Yasui, and Juji Yamauchi, Numerical Anayysis of Two Arm Spiral Antenna Printed on a Finite Size Dielectric Substrate, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagation, vol. 50, no. 3, Mar., 2002.

SL

(a)

Azimuth plane
Z

SL H
X

(b)

Coaxial line

Elevation plane

Figure 1. Configuration of one arm rectangular spiral antenna: (a) Top view, (b) Side view.
0 -5 -10

Cal. Exp.

Returnloss (dB)

-15 -20 -25 -30 -35 -40 -45 -50 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Frequency (GHz)

Figure 2. Return loss of one arm spiral antenna: SL=1.3o and HL=2.63o.
[dB] 15
14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

AR(dB) Gain(dBi)

HL 1= 1.16o HL 2= 2.63o HL 3= 4.64o

TL/o

Figure 3. Selection of horizontal arm length (HL) from axial ratio and gain at SL=1.3o and =90.

Max. Beam Direction; ( )

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2

70

Max. Beam Direction; ( )

60 50 40 30 20 10 0

HL2=2.63 o HL3=4.64 o

HL2=2.63 o HL3=4.64 o
0 0.5 1 1.5 2

SL /

2.5

SL /

2.5

(a) (b) Figure 4. Tilt beam direction change by changing substrate length (SL) for different horizontal spiral arm length HL2=2.63o and HL3=4.64o (a) =90 (b) =Maximum gain direction.
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0

Max. Beam Direction; ( )

HL2=2.63 o HL3=4.64 o
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

SL /

Figure 5. Half Power Beam Width (HPBW) by changing substrate length (SL) for different horizontal spiral arm length (HL), HL2=2.63o and HL3=4.64o at =Maximum gain direction.
SL3 SL3
90

90

90

SL2
45

SL2
135 0 45

135

45

135

SL1

-5

SL1
-10

-10

SL2
-20
-10 0 0

-15

180

-20

180

-20

-10

180

-25

-15

-5

SL1 SL3

225

315

225

315

225

315

SL3 = 2.0 o SL2 = 1.3 o SL1 = 0.6 o

270

270

270

(a) HL1 = 1.16 o (b) HL2 = 2.63 o (c) HL3= 4.64 o Figure 6. Radiation gain pattern and maximum beam direction of 3-different square substrate length (SL), SL=0.6o, 1.3o and 2.0o at =90.
SL3
90

SL3 SL2
90

90

SL2
45

135

45

135

45

SL1

135

SL1

SL2
-10

-10

-10

180

-20

-10

180

-20

-10

180

-20

-10

SL1 SL3

225

315

225

315

225

315

SL3 = 2.0 o SL2 = 1.3 o SL1 = 0.6 o

270

270

270

(a) HL 1= 1.16 o (b) HL2 = 2.63 o (c) HL3 = 4.64 o Figure 7. Radiation gain pattern and maximum beam direction of 3-different square substrate length (SL), SL=0.6o, 1.3o and 2.0o at =Maximum gain direction.