Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna with Designer
Layers Stackup
• Open Ansoft Designer
• Project > Insert Planar EM Design > None
• Layout > Layers … Stackup Tab
o Add Layer > Name: ground, Type: metalizedsignal
o Add Layer > Name: rogers, Type: dielectric
Change thickness to “31mils”
The material should be: “Rogers RT/duroid 5880 (tm)” with εr = 2.2
o Add Layer > Name: signal, Type: signal
Model Setup
• Calculate the lengths and widths necessary for the patch antenna using the theory from
class – these are approximate numbers and will be modified later
• Use Ansoft designer to calculate the length and width of the 100ohm feedline to the patch:
o Project > Insert Circuit Design > None
o Schematic > Layout Stackup...repeat the stackup layers to create the same stackup as
before
o Circuit > Add Model Data > Add Substrate Definition…
In the dielectric area: H = 31mils, Er = 2.2
o Circuit > TRL > Microstrip > Single, Select Substrate > OK
o Set Z0 = 100, E = 180, Frequency = 10, H = 31mil (Make sure Dimension is in mm and
GHz) ……… PUSH SYNTHESIS then OK
o Note the values of W and P for the microstrip that you have created this is the width
and the length of the 100 ohm transmission line that you will create in the planar tool!
• BACK TO YOUR PLANAR DESIGN
• Draw > Primitive > Rectangle, draw a random rectangle – this will be your patch antenna
o Double click the new rectangle and define its points:
Point A should be 0,0 Point B should be L,W where L and W are the Length and
Width that you calculated for the PATCH
• Draw > Primitive > Rectangle, draw a random rectangle – this will be your feedline antenna
o Double click the new rectangle and define its points:
Point A should be 0,0 Point B should be W,‐P where W and ‐P are the Width and
Length that Ansoft calculated for the feedline – note that you should make the
length value NEGATIVE so that the edges of your two rectangles are touching
• Select both rectangles, Draw > Align > Center Horizontally > OK
• Your Patch antenna with feedline is finished:
L
W
100Ω Transmission line
Excitation Setup
Edit > Select Edges, select the bottom edge of your transmission line:
• In the Project Window, Excitation > Add Port
• In the Project Window, Excitation > Add Port
• Edit > Select to get back to a regular cursor
• Double click the PORT itself, go to the Planar EM Tab and set the “Renormalize” to 100+0i
Analysis Setup
• Planar EM > Solution Setup > Add Solution Setup
o Since this is a geometrically simple structure, a fixed mesh will give an accurate
result. Use a fixed mesh with a frequency of 10.0 GHz.
• Planar EM > Solution Setup > Add Frequency Sweep
o Add a frequency sweep from 9.0 GHz to 11.0 GHz with 11 points
o Change the type so that the Generate Surface Current box is checked.
• Planar EM > Analyze
Plotting Results
• In the Project Window, Analysis > Setup 1 > right click Sweep 1 > Results > Plot Templates >
Return Loss
• Repeat the above for … > SWR
Tweaking
• Tweak the values of the length and width of your patch antenna as to better match it at 10
GHz – you should have a minimum at approximately 10GHz and an SWR of no worse than
1.3 at that frequency
Final Plotting
• Your final plots should be of Return Loss, SWR, and the Real and Imaginary parts of your
input impedance…these should all be over 201 frequencies between 8 and 12 GHz. The real
and imaginary parts of Z0 can be plotted by right clicking Results (in the Project Window)
and creating a report…it should be a standard rectangular plot of the only Z parameter
available – add traces for Real and Imaginary
Radiation Pattern Plotting
• In the Project Window, right click Results > Create Report > Type: Far Field, Display Type:
Radiation Pattern
o Go to the Sweeps Tab, highlight the “F Point(s)” row, unclick All Values,
highlight only 10GHz
o Go to the Mag tab and select Category: Gain, Quantity: GainEThetaAccepted,
Function: dB…push add trace, then change the Quantity to GainEPhiAccepted,
add trace…click Done
o Double click the Scale on the bottom of the graph (Rho Axis Properties), change
the scaling to be from 0 to 8
• Obtain the gain at 0 degrees and the HPBW
