Enhancement of Antenna Gain With M&W Slot Model on EBG Reflector Structure Utilizing Reflection Phase Diagram Analysis

This research demonstrates the improvement in antenna gain by utilizing an EBG reflector. The EBG reflector includes a unit cell with grooves shaped like the letters M and W to mitigate surface waves at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. The suggested EBG reflector is constructed on an FR-4 substrate exhibiting a uniform dielectric constant of 4.3, a loss tangent of 0.025, and a thickness of 1.6 mm. Furthermore, the impact of boosting the antenna gain can be analyzed by the reflection phase diagram, which exhibits values ranging from +90° to -90° at the resonant frequency of the reflector. The proposed EBG reflector comprises 5x5 unit cells. The testing results of the reflector's performance, when integrated with a general dipole antenna, indicate that it can effectively respond to the resonant frequency of 2.45 GHz, with a |S11| level below -10 dB within the frequency range of 2.2 GHz to 2.6 GHz, thereby adequately covering the IEEE 802.11 b/g/n band. The suggested EBG reflector exhibits a gain of around 6.5 dBi at 2.45 GHz, indicating its efficacy in enhancing gain relative to the standard PEC reflector. Moreover, the radiation pattern is also directional.