A Low-Profile Circularly Polarized Flexible Patch Antenna Using Characteristic Mode Analysis with Low Radar Cross-Section
摘要
Characteristic mode analysis is used to develop a low-profile, low-RCS circularly polarized patch antenna for the 2.4 GHz ISM band (CMA). The design uses three twin slit-loaded parasitic elements printed on the top layer of a 3 mm thick flexible polyimide substrate to achieve a 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) with high gain. The inserted parasitic elements produce higher-order characteristic modes (CMs) at higher frequencies, which contributes to wide 3-dB ARBW. The suggested antenna has an impedance bandwidth of 2.36–2.92 GHz and circularly polarized bandwidth ranges of 2.3–2.8 GHz. With an average reduction of 4.6 dB over the 6–18 GHz frequency range, the antenna offers a peak gain of 6.7 dBi and a notable peak RCS reduction of 5.9 dB at 7.7 GHz.