Microstrip Patch Antenna Calculator

What is Microstrip Patch Antenna?

A microstrip patch antenna is a patch of conductive material that is etched on a dielectric substrate. This dielectric material is mounted on a ground plane made up of metal with high conductivity (usually copper). This type of antenna operates at high frequencies. The power to radiate the signal waves is provided by the micro strip line connected to it.  To achieve higher efficiency and larger bandwidth the dielectric material which has low permittivity should be selected. They can be operated on two frequencies and can provide linear and circular polarization.

Microstrip patch antennas have become extremely useful because of they can be directly printed on the circuit board, which in turn makes the machine compact in size and weight. They can be easily fabricated and hence have wide range of applications in mobile communication, satellite communication, and even in GPS as they offer ease in tracking vehicles and devices.

The Microstrip Patch Antenna Calculation Process

 Step 1: Calculation of the Width (W) -

Step 2: Calculation of the Effective Dielectric Constant. This is based on the height, dielectric constant of the dielectric and the calculated width of the patch antenna.

Step 3: Calculation of the Effective length

Step 4: Calculation of the length extension ΔL

Step 5: Calculation of actual length of the patch

Where the following parameters are used

f₀ is the Resonance Frequency

W is the Width of the Patch

L is the Length of the Patch

h is the thickness

ε_r is the relative Permittivity of the dielectric substrate

c is the Speed of light: 3 x 10⁸