A Study of Different Substrate Material on Air Gap Radial Line Slot Array (RLSA) Antenna at 28 GHz

Abstract

This paper compared the performance of the conventional Radial line slot array (RLSA) antenna structure. Two different substrates of RLSA antennas were used: The FR4 with the relative permittivity (εr) value of 4.5 and the Duroid/RT5880 with the relative permittivity (εr) value of 2.2. Both substrates had their own thickness, where the Rogers RT Duroid 5880 was thinner with the value of 0.254 mm compared to FR4 which was 1.600 mm. There were two antenna cavities, which were the FR4 hybrid with air gap and the Duroid/RT5880 hybrid with air gap. Based on different substrate, this RLSA antenna was simulated using the CST Microwave Studio simulation software and measured using the Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) equipment that can measure the frequency range (10.0 MHz to 50.0 GHz). Moreover, this RLSA antenna was presented, experimented and measured for millimeter wave frequency, which is within the frequency range (24.0 GHz to 32.0 GHz). In the middle of the rectangular, slots on radiating plate, located with fed coated of 50 Ω SSMA connector as a coaxial to waveguide transition frequency reconfigurable millimeter-wave antenna for 5G networks is presented. The results of the simulation and measurement of this RLSA antenna with different substrates show the S11 and wider value of impedance bandwidth performance in millimeter wave frequency.