A method for determining optimal EBG reflection phase for low profile antennas

A novel analytical method for determining the optimal reflection phase of an electromagnetic band gap (EBG) ground plane to match a low profile antenna is introduced. Image theory is used to incorporate the near field coupling between a dipole antenna and the ground plane. The optimal EBG reflection phase is obtained over a frequency band of interest and is related to the antenna's return loss for a given antenna height above the EBG. The resulting reflection phase can be used as a reference for designing an EBG ground plane that is well matched to the antenna without time consuming iterative full wave numerical simulations. Numerical modeling results are compared to the optimal return loss derived from the analytical method to validate the design process.