Design and Analysis of Dual-Linearly Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antenna Array

Abstract

Dielectric resonators have been widely used as narrowband shielded circuit components. The dielectric resonator antenna is an implementation of using an unshielded dielectric structure in order to extract the radiation of electric fields. Dielectric materials can have low dielectric loss and the absence of metallic surfaces also reduces conduction losses. A dielectric resonator antenna can have efficiencies above 95% for several hundred megahertz. The versatility in choice of shape, relative permittivity and size enables a whole spectrum of operating frequency ranges (1GHz-40GHz), sizes, radiation patterns and bandwidths. The far field radiation pattern is a characteristic of the resonating modes. In this project the investigation of dielectric resonator antennas was quantitatively realized by the design and evaluation of one omni-directional wideband dielectric resonator antenna with operating frequency range 3.9GHz to 6.2GHz and two dual linearly polarized broadside antenna arrays in L, S and C band applications. Transverse modes with rotational symmetry are preferred for an omni-directional radiation pattern, whereas a hybrid mode is suitable for a broadside radiation pattern. The modes can be excited by feeding from microstrip lines and coaxial probes. The location of the excitation determines what mode is excited.
The resonant frequency is controlled by size, shape and permittivity of the DR element. Dual polarization is achieved by exciting two orthogonal modes simultaneously in the resonator. The cross coupling between the feeding networks and the matching of these becomes a crucial step in the design of a dielectric resonator antenna. The broadside antenna elements have been arranged in a linear as well as planar array to increase the directivity.