Microstrip slot antennas are a type of printed antenna that has gained popularity in recent years due to their compact size, ease of fabrication, and potential for high-frequency operation. In this article, we will present the design and analysis of a microstrip-fed printed wide-slot antenna, which is a variation of the traditional patch antenna.

Design Overview

The antenna design consists of a rectangular patch with a slot cut along its centerline, as shown in Figure 1. The patch is fed by a microstrip line that connects to the edge of the patch. The antenna is designed to operate at a frequency of around 2 GHz, which is suitable for wireless communication applications.

Analysis

To analyze the performance of the antenna, we used the Antenna Toolbox software from MathWorks. The toolbox provides a set of tools for designing and analyzing antennas, including simulation capabilities and visualization options.

First, we simulated the antenna's return loss using the sparameters function, as shown in Figure 2. The result shows that the antenna has a good match to the desired frequency band, with a return loss of less than -10 dB across the entire frequency range.

Next, we analyzed the antenna's radiation pattern using the pattern function, as shown in Figure 3. The result shows that the antenna has a unidirectional radiation pattern with a maximum gain of around 5 dBi.

Gerber Files

To generate Gerber files for manufacturing purposes, we used the PCB services catalog provided by Antenna Toolbox. We selected an SMA edge connector from the catalog and modified it to match our antenna design. We then generated the Gerber files using the MayhewWriter service and obtained a set of files that describe the antenna's geometry.

Online Gerber Viewer

We also used the online 3D Gerber viewer provided by Antenna Toolbox to visualize the antenna's design. We uploaded the Gerber files to the viewer and were able to see the antenna's geometry in 3D, as shown in Figure 4.

Manufactured Antenna and Measurements

We submitted an order for the manufactured antenna on the Seeed Fusion website together with the generated Gerber files. The manufactured antenna was mailed out to us a few weeks later.

Once we received the antenna, we measured its reflection coefficient using the Antenna Lab at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). The results are shown in Figure 5. The agreement between the analyzed and measured results is reasonable, with an absolute error of around 4% in the minimum.

In this article, we presented the design and analysis of a microstrip-fed printed wide-slot antenna using the Antenna Toolbox software from MathWorks. We simulated the antenna's return loss and radiation pattern, generated Gerber files for manufacturing purposes, and measured the antenna's reflection coefficient. The results show that the antenna has a good match to the desired frequency band and a unidirectional radiation pattern.

Reference

[1] Jia-Yi Sze and Kin-Lu Wong, "Bandwidth enhancement of a microstrip-line-fed printed wide-slot antenna," in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 49, no. 7, pp. 1020-1024, Jul 2001.

See Also

Model and Analyze Dual Polarized Patch Microstrip Antenna