The analysis of arbitrarily shaped aperture-coupled patch antennas via a mixed-potential integral equation

A mixed-potential integral equation (MPIE) is formulated for the electric and magnetic currents on a multilayered aperture-coupled patch antenna. The integral equation is solved via the method of moments (MOM) using subsectional basis functions that allow the analysis of nonrectangular aperture and patch shapes. The input impedance and radiation efficiency of various aperture-coupled elements are calculated using the proposed technique and compared to measured results. The advantages and disadvantages of several aperture and patch configurations are discussed, and six methods of numerically de-embedding the element's input impedance are compared.