Performance-Enhanced S-Shaped Slotted Patch Antenna for X Band/Ku Band Applications

Design and performance enhancement of an S-shaped antenna with two additional slits and slots is presented. Initially, a parametric study was performed with two commonly used dielectric materials. First, FR4 with er = 4.3 and thickness of 1.55 mm was used, followed by RO4003C with er = 3.55 and thickness of 0.8 mm. Suitable for high frequencies, the RO4003C outperforms the affordable but lossy FR4. Thus, the antenna is fabricated with RO4003C. The simulated and measured results are in good agreement. Since the proposed antenna operates at two resonant frequencies, 10 GHz and 17.65 GHz, it is suitable for both X and Ku bands. The better gain was obtained at 10 GHz, with a measured gain of 6.3 dB. Finally, a comparative table is given, which reveals the superiority of the proposed antenna in terms of gain and compactness over some X-band antennas recently presented.