Compact Wide-Beam Circularly Polarized End-Fire Antenna Combining Ground Radiation Mode and Vertically Polarized Mode

A compact wide-beam endfire antenna with ground radiation mode and vertically polarized mode for circular polarization (CP) is presented in this article. The antenna is constructed based on a configuration of coupled-mode patch antenna (CMPA), which consists of two coupling cavities with a shorting wall, and can generate vertically polarized modes. The CP is realized through a pair of orthogonally polarized modes of horizontal and vertical polarizations. Meanwhile, rendering them acquires an equal amplitude and a 90° phase difference. The horizontally polarized radiation mode is realized through inserting a crossed ground slot. Offset probe feed is used to excite all the radiation modes and introduce an additional phase shift for the CP. A set of offset ground slots (OGSs) are then applied to perturb the electromagnetic coupling of the modes and adjust the phase and magnitude of the radiating electric fields (E-fields). Several effects are synthesized, which results in a wide-beam circularly polarized (CP) endfire radiation. Aiming to improve the radiation performances, a cavity-backed planar reflector was applied in the experiment. Simulated and measured results are detailed and analyzed, which demonstrate that the measured 3 dB axial ratio (AR < 3 dB) bandwidth (ARBW) ranges from 3.385 to 3.428 GHz (1.2%), and the peak gain can be up to 3.4 dBi if the planar reflector is added. The measured half-power beamwidth (HPBW) and 3 dB ARBW can be up to 88°/114° and 53°/112° at 3.4 GHz, respectively. The antenna size (excluding the reflector) is maintained at
$0.49\lambda _{0}\times 0.25\lambda _{0}\times 0.017\lambda _{0}$
, where
$\lambda _{0}$
is the wavelength in free space, performing a compact configuration.