Antennas Theory and Design

( 天线理论与设计 )
Teacher: Haogang Wang
College of Information Science & Electronic
Engineering
Email: [email protected]
The original PPTs for this course are prepared by
Professor X. C. Wei. He had used these PPTs to teach the
bachelor students at Zhejiang University for several years.
Thank professor Wei for his work! Here some revisions
1
are also made to fit the period of this course.
 Review of Chapter One

Grading Policies

 Attendance, Interactive_Questionaires and

Homework: 60%;
 Final Examination: 40%.

2
 About the Course

Scope
Antenna Theory Antenna Application

1. Antenna Basic Theory(Lesson 1) 4. Linear Wire Antennas(Lesson 8)

2. Fundamental Parameters of Antennas 5. Loop Antennas(Lesson 9)
1. Radiation Pattern(Lesson 2) 6. Antenna Array(Lesson 10)
2. Directivity and Gain(Lesson 3) 7. Frequency Independent Antennas(Lesson
3. Polarization(Lesson 4) 11)
4. Receiving Antenna(Lesson 5) 8. Horn Antennas(Lesson 12)
3. Antenna Analysis Method: 9. Microstrip Antennas(Lesson 13)
1. Numerical Electromagnetic 10. Reflector Antennas(Lesson 14)
Simulation(Lesson 6) 11. New Types of Antennas(Lesson 15)
2. Radiation Integrals and Auxiliary 12. Summary(Lesson 16)
Potential Functions(Lesson 7)

3
 About the Course

Time Schedule
Tuesday, 16:15-17:50
Friday, 8:00-9:35

Venue: 玉泉教 7-306

References
 Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, third edition, (Text book)
 Antenna Theory and Design, W. L. Stutzman, Third Edition
 天线原理，国防工业出版社，魏文元等
 约翰 . 克劳斯著，章文勋译，《天线》第三版上册。
 天线工程手册，电子科技大学出版社，聂在平主编。
4
 Chapter 1
Antennas
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Types of Antennas
1.3 Radiation Mechanism
1.4 Current Distribution along a Thin Wire
Antenna
1.5 Historical Advancement

5
 Introduction

What is an Antenna?
 An antenna is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “a usually metallic device (as a
rod or wire) for radiating or receiving radio waves.”
 The IEEE Standard Definitions of Terms for Antennas (IEEE Std 145–1983)∗
defines the antenna or aerial as “a means for radiating or receiving radio waves.”
 In other words the antenna is the transitional structure between free-space and a
guiding device.

Bla h bla h
b la h b l a h

6
 Introduction

 For wireless communication systems, the antenna

is one of the most critical components. A good
design of the antenna can relax system
requirements and improve overall system
performance.

 The antenna serves to a communication system

the same purpose that eyes and eyeglasses serve
to a human.

7
 Introduction

Antenna As A Transition/Transducer Device

Electromagnetic wave

The information is transmitted and received through the propagation of

electromagnetic wave Fig.1.1 8
 Introduction

Thevenin Equivalent In Transmission

Mode Antenna Ohm
Loss
Radiation
Resistance
Zc ≠ Z A

Antenna
Inductance/
Fig.1.2 Condensance

Usually transmission line with 50 Ohm characteristic impedance Zc

9
 Introduction

Issues related to the efficiency of electromagnetic

energy transfer
 Matching between transmission line and the antenna

 Losses due to the Transmission line.

 In addition to receiving or transmitting energy, an antenna in an

advanced wireless system is usually required to optimize the
radiation energy in some directions and suppress it in others. Thus
the antenna must also serve as a directional device in addition to a
probing device.
Directivity of an Antenna

Ominidirectional antenna
10
 Types of Antennas

1.Wire antennas
2.Aperture antennas
3.Microstrip antennas
4.Array antennas
5.Reflector antennas
6.Lens antennas

11
Types of Antennas

Wire
Antennas

12
 Types of Antennas

Dipole
Wire antennas, linear or curved, are some of the
oldest, simplest, cheapest, and in many cases the
most versatile for many applications.

Fig.1.3(a)

13
Types of Antennas

Circular(Square)Loop

In most case
used as a field
probe

Fig.1.3(b)

14
Types of Antennas

Helix

Fig.1.3(c)

15
Types of Antennas

Aperture
Antennas

16
 Types of Antennas

Pyramidal Horn
Antennas of this type are very
useful for aircraft and spacecraft
applications. Used for high
frequency, used for feeds

Fig.1.4(a)

Impedance
matching,
Reduced
reflection
17
Types of Antennas

Conical Horn

Fig.1.4(b)
screw thread used for impedance
matching

18
 Types of Antennas
Rectangular Waveguide

• In most cases is used

to transmit EM energy
between source and
antenna.
• Radiation efficiency is
lower than horn.
Fig.1.4(c)

Flexible waveguide Devices based on waveguide

Bent waveguide

19
 Types of Antennas

Microstrip Patch
Antennas (MPA)

20
 Types of Antennas

Rectangular MPA radiator

Feed line
 Microstrip antennas became very
popular in the 1970s primarily for
spaceborne applications;
 Rectangular and circular patches
are the most popular shapes;
 Advantages:
 low profile
 Comformable( 共形 )
Fig.1.5(a)  simple and inexpensive to
fabricate
 Easy integration with MMIC
designs

21
Types of Antennas

Circular MPA

Fig.1.5(b)

22
Types of Antennas

Array
Antennas

23
 Types of Antennas
Yagi-Uda Array
Many applications require radiation
characteristics that may not be achievable
by a single element. It may, however, be
possible that an aggregate of radiating
elements in an electrical and geometrical
arrangement (an array) will result in the
desired radiation characteristics. Fig.1.6(a)

24
Types of Antennas

Aperture Array

Fig.1.6(b)

25
 Types of Antennas

Microstrip Patch Array

Feed network

Fig.1.6(c)

26
 Types of Antennas

Slotted-Waveguide Array

current

current

Fig.1.6(d)

27
Types of Antennas

Reflector
Antennas

28
 Types of Antennas

Parabolic Reflector With Front Feed

Reflector antennas are used in order to

transmit and receive signals that had to
travel millions of miles, outer space
application.
High frequency
Fig.1.7(a)

29
Types of Antennas
Parabolic Reflector
With Cassegrain Feed

FAST(500 米口径射电望远镜 ),70MHz-3GHz

Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical
Fig.1.7(b) Telescope

30
Types of Antennas

Corner Reflector

Fig.1.7(c)

31
Types of Antennas

Lens
Antennas

32
horn+Lens Rotman Lens antenna
 Types of Antennas

Lenses are primarily used to collimate incident divergent energy

to prevent it from spreading in undesired directions. They can be
used in most of the same applications as are the parabolic
reflectors, especially at higher frequencies.

Lens With Index of n>1

33
Fig.1.8(a)
Types of Antennas

Lens With Index of n<1

Fig.1.8(b)

34
Radiation Mechanism

Radiation
Mechanism

35
 Radiation Mechanism

Electromagnet
contained and
ic wave is
guided within the
generated by
transmission line
the source finally “detached”
from the antenna
and propagate into
the free-space 36
 Radiation Mechanism

The Source of the Electromagnetic

Radiation is the Time-Varying Current

37
 Radiation Mechanism
Time-Varying
Current=Acceleration/Deceleration Charges

I z  ql vz For line current

ql is the charge per unit length

Iz is the time-varying current
vz is the velocity of charge

dI z dvz
0  ql  ql az
dt dt
az is the acceleration of charges

az  0
38
 Radiation Mechanism

To create radiation, there must be a time-

varying current or an acceleration (or
deceleration) of charge.
In real applications, there are two kinds of radiation
generators:
a. Quickly charging/uncharging to get shorter pulses,such
as Pulse Radar;
b. Time-harmonic current to generate carrier waves, used
in most communication systems.

39
 Radiation Mechanism

Pulses/sinusoids

• Pulses radiate a broad bandwidth(spectrum) of

radiation.The shorter the pulse width,the broader
the spectrum.
• A time-harmonic current or charge leads to a
narrow specturm of radiation; ideally zero
bandwidth at the frequency of the sinusoid, if it
continues indefinitely.

40
 Radiation Mechanism

1. If a charge is not moving,current is not created and

there is no radiation.- static problem
2. If charge is moving with a uniform velocity:
a.There is no radiation if the wire
is straight,and infinite in extent
b.There is radiation if the wire is
curved,bent,discontinuous,terminated,
or truncated,as shown in Figure 1.10.
3.If charge is oscillating in a time-motion,it radiates
even if the wire is straight.
41
Radiation Mechanism

Curved Wire

Fig.1.10(a)

The charge changes its moving direction

42
 Radiation Mechanism

Bent Wire

Fig.1.10(b)
• buildup of charge concentration at the ends of the wire.
• internal (self) forces push other charges back-reflection

Charges are reflected from the bend

43
Radiation Mechanism

Discontinuous Wire

Fig.1.10(c)
Charges are reflected from the bend

44
Radiation Mechanism

Terminated Wire

Fig.1.10(d)

45
Radiation Mechanism

Truncated Wire

Fig.1.10(e)

46
 Radiation Mechanism
Detachment of Electromagnetic Wave From
Antenna into Free-Space
Magnetic field line can form a closed loop whether for DC or AC case. However,
 For DC case, electric field lines start on positive charges/infinite and end on
negative charges/infinite. Their existence depend on the existence of charges.
 For AC case, electric field lines may form closed loops neither starting or
ending on any charge. They can be independent with the existence of charges.

antenna Magnetic
Magnetic
field field
Electric Electric Electric
field field field

Propagation Direction
47
 Radiation Mechanism
Detachment of Electromagnetic Wave From
Antenna into Free-Space
+

-
λ is the wavelength

Fig.1.14(a)
48
Radiation Mechanism

Fig.1.14(b) 49
Radiation Mechanism

Half-period free-space wave

Fig.1.14(c)
50
Radiation Mechanism

E-Field lines Of λ/2 Dipole

The generation of a half-period wave 51

Fig.1.12
 EM Numerical Simulations
Why Need EM Numerical
Simulations?
Old Methodologies for solving Maxwell’s equation are analytical methods, e.
g., Separation of Variables, etc.

Disadvantages:
1) Can only solve for EM problems with very simple shapes, such as
rectangular box and sphere;
2) The Boundary condition should also be simple;
3) The distributions of the permittivity and permeability should also be simple.

All these disadvantages restrict the application scope of the analytical

methods.

The structures of modern antennas are always very complex and can not
be solved by analytical methods. So we need to find alternate methodologies
to attack these problems.

52
 EM Numerical Simulations
Why Need EM Numerical
Simulations?
Depending on the strong computing power of the modern computers, through
developing programs with complex coding structure but with simpler formulas of the
EM physics, the EM numerical simulation software owns powerful capabilities for
solving complex electromagnetic radiation and scattering problems such as antennas,
waveguides, radio frequency circuits, target scatterings and radiations, etc.

What is the EM Numerical

Simulations?
Numerical methods Commercial software
• Method of Moments (MoM) FEKO
• Finite Element Methods (FEM) HFSS
• Finite Volume Integral Equation Time Domain (FVITD) CST
• Finite Diference Time Domain (FDTD) rsoft, XFDTD, FDTD solutions

53
 HFSS
The detail knowledge of these numerical methods is out of the scope of this
course. Interesting students can study the Computational Electromagnetics.

Here we only introduce the application of the software HFSS in EM

simulations.

54
 HFSS
Version of HFSS software: ANSYS HFSS 13.0-19.0

55
 Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

The dipole antenna can be taken as the flaring of the two-wire

transmission lines, both of them have the similar current
distribution.

The question is: Why a dipole antenna can radiate EM wave

while the transmission line can not?

56
 Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

Two-Wire Transmission Line

If the spacing between the two wires is very small,

the fields radiated by the current of each wire are
essentially cancelled by those of the other. The net
result is an almost ideal nonradiating transmission
line.
57
Fig.1.15(a)
 Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

Flared-Transmission Line

As the section of the transmission line between 0 ≤ z ≤ l/2

begins to flare, it can be assumed that the current distribution
is essentially unaltered

Fig.1.15(b)
58
 Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

Linear Dipole

Ultimately the flared section of the Fig.1.15(c)

transmission line forms a dipole

the fields radiated by the two arms of the dipole (vertical

parts of a flared transmission line) will primarily reinforce
each other toward most directions of observation
59
 Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

Current
Distribution
Linear Dipole
60
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

L<<λ

Fig.1.16(a)

61
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

L=λ/2

Fig.1.16(b) 62
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

λ/2<L< λ

Fig.1.16(c) 63
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

λ<L<3λ/2
the current in all parts of the dipole
does not have the same phase. In
turn, the fields radiated by some parts
of the dipole will not reinforce those of
the others.

Fig.1.16(d) 64
 Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

Current
Variation
As A Function Of Time
For λ/2 Dipole

65
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

t=0

Fig.1.17(c)
66
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

t=T/8

Fig.1.17(b)
67
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

t=T/4

Fig.1.17(c)

68
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

t=3T/8

Fig.1.17(d)
69
Current Distribution on a Thin Wire
Antenna

t=T/2

Fig.1.17(e)
70
 Historical Advancement
Maxwell’s Equations
  H  j E  J
• James Clerk Maxwell, 1873
  E   j H

 E 

 H  0

• Heinrich Rudolph Hertz, 1886

• Guglielmo Marconi, 1901

transmission from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to

St. John’s Newfoundland 71
 Historical Advancement

• During and after World War II

• new elements (such as waveguide apertures, horns,
reflectors) were primarily introduced;
• invention of microwave sources (such as the klystron
and magnetron) with frequencies of 1 GHz and above.
• Advances made in computer architecture and technology
during the 1960s through the 1990s have had a major
impact on the advance of antenna modeling technology.
• From “cut and try” operation to an engineering art.

72
 Historical Advancement

Antenna Elements
 Prior to World War II most antenna elements were of the wire
type;
 During and after World War II, many other radiators were put
into service. Many of these antennas were of the aperture type
 In the 1950s, a breakthrough in antenna evolution was created
which extended the maximum bandwidth to as great as 40:1 or
more – frequency independent antenna (Log-periodical, etc)
 In the early 1970s the microstrip or patch antennas was
reported. simple, lightweight, inexpensive, low profile, and
conformal to the surface.
 From 1970s and 1980s, a new antenna array design referred to
as smart antenna.

73
 Historical Advancement

Future Challenges
 Integration of new materials, such as
metamaterials, artificial magnetic
conductors and soft/hard surfaces, into
antenna technology offers many
opportunities.
 Computational electromagnetics using
supercomputing and parallel computing
capabilities will model complex
electromagnetic wave interactions
 New applications: in-chip antenna, nano
antenna, etc
74
 Review of Chapter One

The IEEE Standard Definitions of Terms for Antennas (IEEE Std 145–
1983)∗ defines the antenna or aerial as “a means for radiating or
receiving radio waves.”
Antenna Ohm
Loss
Radiation
Resistance
Zc ≠ Z A

Antenna
Inductance/
Fig.1.2 Condensance

Thevenin Equivalent In Transmission Mode 75

 Review of Chapter One

Different Types of Antennas

1.Wire antennas
2.Aperture antennas
3.Microstrip antennas
4.Array antennas
5.Reflector antennas
6.Lens antennas

76
 Review of Chapter One

To create radiation, there must be a time-

varying current or an acceleration (or
deceleration) of charge.
*In real applications, there are two kinds of radiation
generators:
a. Quickly charging/uncharging to get shorter pulses,such
as Pulse Radar;
b. Time-harmonic current to generate carrier waves, used
in most communication systems.

77