Design of dielectric resonator sensor with minimized ground plane size for microwave breast cancer detection

In this paper, a wideband dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) sensor with small ground plane is designed for microwave breast cancer detection. A coaxial probe excites a two-steps stair shaped DRA. To reduce the backward leakage with the small ground plane size a quarter wavelength choke is added to the back of the ground plane. The impedance bandwidth of 46% is achieved. The effect of attaching the sensor to the breast tissue is investigated when the sensor is directly attached to the breast tissue.