Broadband Patch Antenna With a Folded Plate Pair as a Differential Feeding Scheme

A broadband differential-fed patch antenna (DFPA) with good radiation pattern is proposed and studied. Unlike conventional DFPAs, the proposed antenna employs a folded plate pair as the differential feeding scheme. The devised feeding approach subtly acts as an impedance matching media for two radiation modes of the antenna, conducing to the wide impedance bandwidth. The conceived bandwidth enhancement technique demonstrates an impedance bandwidth (SWR les2) of up to 74% which outperforms conventional broadband patch antennas of more than 20%. Meanwhile, by using a differentially-driven signal along with the introduced feeding scheme, symmetric radiation patterns, low cross-polarization levels and stable radiation patterns are realized within the band. More importantly, the antenna has a stable gain at 8.5 dBi within a wide frequency range, demonstrating the high stability of the radiation characteristics for the two radiation modes. Analysis and parametric studies of the proposed feeding structure are provided.