A compact modified antipodal Vivaldi antenna for imaging application

In this paper, a modified compact and directive antipodal Vivaldi antenna is presented for the microwave imaging purposes. The modification is done on the radiating fins of the antipodal Vivaldi antenna by etching three slots on both planes. The increase of gain and efficiency with stronger radiation pattern are achieved by this modification. Simulation for this modified antenna is done on both simulation software named HFSS and CST. The overall electrical dimension of this antenna is 0.401λ×0.401λ×0.016λ at the lowest frequency 3.01 GHz. Simulated results show that this modified antenna operates at the frequency of 3.01 to 6.80 GHz which is suitable for microwave imaging techniques. Because of the antenna radiating fins, it shows the average efficiency of 94% with a peak gain of 5.90 dBi. Characteristics of this modified proposed antipodal Vivaldi antenna fulfill the requirements needed for microwave imaging techniques.