Analysis of the tapered slot antenna

Abstract

A method for calculating the radiation pattern of end-fire tapered slot antennas with or without dielectric substrate is presented. The method involves a two-step procedure: 1) determine the field distribution of a traveling wave along the tapered slot, and 2) compute the radiation from this slot field by using the half-plane Green's function to account for termination effects. Acceptable estimates of the slot field usually can be obtained from a stepped approximation to the tapered geometry. The method has been verified by comparisons to measured patterns for various dielectric substrates and antenna dimensions. However, the effect of lateral truncation has not yet been successfully modeled. Experimental patterns showing this effect are presented.