Radiation and Scattering Performance of Microstrip Antennas Using Exotic Substrates

Book excerpt: Both the scattering and radiation properties are considered in microstrip antenna designs for airborne applications. The use of exotic substrates, instead of simple dielectric substrates, opens up a new dimension, making it much easier to meet both the radiation and scattering requirements. Two types of substrates, the ferromagnetic and the anisotropic dielectric, are being studied because of their commercial availability. It has been observed that the radiation mode and the scattering mode of the microstrip antenna are often distinctly different. Thus, permittivity and permeability tensor of the substrate can be selected to decouple the radiation and scattering modes to achieve simultaneously radiation and scattering performance goals. Analysis techniques used in the design study are also discussed. (Author).