Microstrip antenna array's gain enhancement via Electromagnetic Band Gap structures

For a point-to-point communication system, an antenna array with high gain is essential and in this work, by incorporating electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structures at a specific location within the antenna's peripherals, the gain of the antenna could be enhanced further. The EBG structures reduced mutual couplings between the adjacent patches thus make them radiates effectively. On the other hand, the EBG structures located at the edge of the antenna suppressed surface waves and prevent it from propagating to the edges, thus reduced the side and back lobes. This further enhances the front radiation characteristics of the antenna and also increased the gain. The techniques and guidelines on how to achieve the objectives is presented and the simulated and measured results complement each other.