Line-coupled microstrip slotted patch antenna with modified ground structure for next generation of wireless communications

Nowadays, requirements of excessive data rate with high reliability face the next generation of wireless communications with wideband links and millimeter-wave frequencies. This brings new communication systems to use of high frequency antennas. Also wide band antennas will help designers to choose desired frequency bands with required bandwidth. In this paper bandwidth enhancement of a printed antenna for next generation of wireless communication systems is studied in terms of ground plane structure. The proposed line-coupled antenna consists of a 18 mm microstrip feed line which sandwiches by two 62 mil 5880 Rogers Duroid substrates with dimensions of 40 ∗ 40 mm
²
at bottom layer and 30 ∗ 30 mm
²
at top layer. A circular patch with two symmetric pairwise arc slots and a notch circle subtracted from the patch is mounted on top layer substrate. An optimization on microstrip feed line width and slot width was done. With optimized values along with conventional ground plane, bandwidth of 18.18% with central frequency of 22 GHz obtained. Modifying ground plane structure led to bandwidth enhancement to 55.2%, extended from 20.5 GHz to 36.1 GHz. the proposed antenna with modified ground plane structure, shows remarkable return losses of −30.6 dB at 28.6 GHz with 6 dB gain, −28.2 dB at 31.2 GHz with 3.38 dB gain and −40 dB at 32.8 GHz with 7.9 dB gain. Due to low attenuation factors in frequency range of 28 GHz to 38 GHz this antenna is a good candidate for next generation of wireless communication systems. The proposed antenna with modified ground structure is fabricated and tested. The simulation and measured results are in a good agreement.