Effect of different substrates on Compact stacked square Microstrip Antenna

Abstract

Selection of the most suitable substrate for a Microstrip antenna is a matter of prime importance. This is because many limitations of the microstrip antenna such as high return loss, low gain and low efficiency can be overcome by selecting an appropriate substrate for fabrication of the antenna, without shifting the resonant frequency significantly. The substate properties such as its dielectric constant, loss tangent have a pronounced effect on the antenna characteristics. Some of the critical properties that are to be taken care of while selecting a dielectric are homogeneity, moisture absorption and adhesion of metal- foil cladding. In this paper a comprehensive study of the effect of variation of substrate material on the antenna properties has been presented.