High Performance Dual Circularly Polarized Microstrip Patch Antenna for Satellite Communication

Abstract

High performance dual circularly polarized X-band microstrip patch antenna for satellite communication is presented in this paper. The high performance refers to high return loss, high isolation, high gain >8.5dBi and low cross polarization with axial ratio<;2dB throughout the bandwidth 8-8.4GHz. This performance is achieved by using stacked substrate with square patch on the top layer and a 90° hybrid coupler on the bottom layer. The patch is electromagnetically coupled through the two apertures present on the ground plane which is fed by the branchline coupler present on the bottom substrate. Simulated and measured results shows that this basic element can be extended to form a phased array antenna due to its less weight, compact structure and high performance.