A bidirectional notch antenna

This paper presents the analysis of the bidirectional notch antenna on a sheet conductor backed by a ground plane. The notch antenna cut in an electrically large sheet conductor is used for airplane antennas. In general, the notch characteristics are seriously affected by the size of the sheet conductor. Since the notch antenna has a wide width and is cut in an electrically large sheet conductor, it is calculated by the moment method using wire grid modeling. A single notch cut in the sheet conductor may be regarded as a tapered slot antenna, however a pair of notches excited simultaneously has a different antenna structure. This paper presents the moment method analysis for a bidirectional notch antenna. Two dominant modes for the bidirectional pattern are explained by the current distributions. It also examines the ground plane effects.