ON THE MODELING OF METAL STRIP ANTENNAS CONTIGUOUS WITH THE EDGE OF ELECTRICALLY THICK FINITE SIZE DIELECTRIC SUBSTRATES

A solution to the problem of radiation by a narrow metal strip antenna contiguous with the edge of a dielectric substrate is presented where the substrate has parameters such that its electrical thickness is appreciable. Such an antenna may be useful at millimeter wavelengths as an integrated phased array element forming a part of a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC). A suitable geometry for this application is illustrated and an efficient computational procedure developed. Comparisons with experimental results for the input impedance and far-field radiation show excellent agreement. The influence of the dielectric substrate on the performance of an antenna designed to operate at approximately 60 GHz is then discussed. Two examples, the first involving the analysis of a co-planar strip transmission line fed antenna and the second involving impedance matching and control of cross-polarized radiation using a folded strip dipole, are given to illustrate practical applications of the analytical method to design problems.