volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

This paper presents a novel tunable microstrip patch antenna using liquid crystal. It adopts a differentially-driven, aperture-coupled, and stacked-patch structure. Compared with the conventional design, this novel antenna achieves a larger frequency tuning range, much wider impedance bandwidth, higher radiation efficiency and gain. Besides, the novel antenna facilitates the bias design as the bias signal is naturally isolated from the RF signal. Both the conventional and novel antennas are designed to operate at 28 GHz using an RT/Duroid 5880 substrate and K15 liquid crystal. Results show that the novel antenna has a tuning range of 3.1%, an impedance bandwidth of 6.43%, a peak radiation efficiency of 70%, and a peak realized gain of 6.5 dBi, while the conventional antenna has the tuning range of 2.7%, impedance bandwidth of 3.57%, peak radiation efficiency of 45%, and peak realized peak gain of 4.5 dBi.

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Dr. Jia-Wei Dai

Dr. Hong-Li Peng

Dr. Yao-Ping Zhang

Dr. Jun-Fa Mao