Design and Modeling of a Microstrip Patch Antenna by Using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) Method and Computer Aided Simulations

Nowadays, complex electromagnetic scenarios carried out by numerical techniques can be solved easily by state-of-the-art technology computers. Thus, many numerical techniques have been emerged in order to solve the different problems. In this way, scientists can define and predict the various circumstances for any problem. In this study, a microstrip patch antenna has been analyzed by using finite difference time domain (FDTD) method which is the one of the most utilized technique in computational electromagnetics. Antenna has been fed through the Gaussian pulse from the microstrip line. Microstrip patch antenna has been designed as three layered structure which are ground, substrate and patch. Although the ground and patch layers have been selected as perfectly electric conductor (PEC), substrate layer has been selected as a dielectric material whose dielectric constant has been 4.4. Also, designed antenna has been surrounded by perfectly matched layer (PML). FDTD based investigations have been performed for 200, 400, 600 and 800 time steps, respectively. Results have showed that the electric field has radiated from the points of discontinuity of the investigated antenna and electric field radiation pattern of the antenna has been varied for each time step. As a part of this study, the antenna has been simulated through the commercial electromagnetic simulation software. In this way, both electric field radiation and reflection coefficient results have been obtained. Dimensions and electrical properties of antenna investigated through the FDTD method have also been defined for simulation studies. Simulation results have showed that the resonance frequency of the antenna has been observed at 5.077 GHz and 9.28 GHz.