2013 3rd International Conference on Instrumentation, Communications, Information Technology, and Biomedical Engineering (ICICI-BME)

Bandung, November 7-8, 2013

Dual Layer Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna

with H-Slot for 2.4 GHz Range Applications
H. Nornikman1, 2, F. Malek2, N. Saudin2, N. A. Zainuddin1, M. Md. Shukor1, M. Z. A. Abd Aziz1, B. H. Ahmad1,
M. A. Othman1
1

Center for Telecommunication Research and Innovation, Faculty of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Universiti Teknikal
Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Melaka, Malaysia
(E-mail: nornikman84@yahoo.com)
2
School of Electrical Systems Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Perlis, Malaysia
(E-mail: mfareq@unimap.edu.my)

tags store unique identifying information of objects and

communicate the tags so as to allow remote retrieval of their
ID. Microstrip patch antenna especially FR-4 substrate has
high potential to use in RFID system because of low profile
and low cost reason.
There are many research on the RFID antenna such as Liu
[8] in 2013 with RFID antenna using metamaterial and Xing in
2011 with loop antenna to ultra high frequency (UHF) RFID
receivers [9]. Lius antenna capability to handle in the range of
920 MHz - 925 MHz of UHF frequency. Xings antenna using
two quasihalf loop antenna (TTLA) to investigate the
impedance matching and distribution of magnetic field in RFID
systems.
WLAN application at 2.4 GHz of frequency are also the
popular communication band that used nowadays, especially in
the mobile handsets, smart television and also personal
computer (PC) or laptop. This technology is easy to apply and
fabricated in his printed microstrip patch antenna such as in
these research papers [10-13].
H-slot antenna one of the technique that implement in the
microstrip patch antenna. For example in Lin, it used H-shaped
narrow slot antenna with CPW-fed for WLAN application.
This antenna has the bandwidth of 13.5 % and gain of 2.5 dBi
[14]. Noori had been added h-shaped slot on the basic
rectangular patch antenna to cover triple band of 0.9 GHz, 1.8
GHz and 2.4 GHz of frequencies [15].
In this paperwork, the H-slot patch had been combined with
the basic rectangular patch antenna design to investigate the
resonant frequency, return loss, gain and radiation pattern. The
simulation and measured result also had been shown in this
paper.

Abstract-In this work, a dual layer rectangular microstrip

patch antenna with H-slot is proposed for improving the return
loss and enhanced gain at 2.4 GHz and 2.45 GHz. The antenna is
designed by using CST Microwave Studio is used to design the
mathematically based on the rectangular microstrip patch
antenna. Simulated and experimental results obtained for this
antenna show that it exhibits good radiation behavior within the
RFID frequency range. It is found that this antenna shows
18.584 dB at 2.45 GHz and 19.692 dB at the resonant frequency
of 2.442 GHz. At desired along this frequency band, the gain 2.228
dB at 2.442 GHz and 2.756 dB at 2.45 GHz is achieved.
Keyword: Dual layer antenna; H-slot; RFID; return loss; antenna
gain

I. INTRODUCTION
The wireless telecommunication system is becoming most
popular system used nowadays, and it was rapidly over the last
two decades. As with new development system technologies,
there has been an increased user demand for high data rate and
miniaturize size of the printed antennas. There are many types
of microstrip antenna in telecommunication area such YagiUda [1], dipole antenna [2], monopole [3] bow-tie antenna [4],
PIFA antenna [5], Minkowski shaped [6] and others. This
microstrip antenna are wide range use in many applications
such as wireless local area network (WLAN), worldwide
interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), global
positioning system (GPS) and radio frequency identification
(RFID) area.
RFID technology initially developed around World War II.
This non-contact two-way data communication consists
transmitter and receiver part in the system. For example is
reader-tag-reader UHF RFID system that receives the signal
from RFID reader antenna to RFID tag via open space [7].
Another application that used this RFID technology are
barcode successors to retail supply chain, remote monitoring,
and healthcare monitoring system.
This RFID technology basically had the capability in
tracking and provides a wireless identification system. RF
antenna is one of the components in this RFID system. RFID


 




II. ANTENNA DESIGN

This section focuses on schematic diagram and the
dimension of the basic microstrip antenna and the combination
of second layer antenna with H-slot design. The rectangular
microstrip patch antenna is designed by using FR-4 substrate at
50 matching impedance dielectric constant r = 4.7 and
substrate thickness of the ground plane, h = 1.6mm.

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2013 3rd International Conference on Instrumentation, Communications, Information Technology, and Biomedical Engineering (ICICI-BME)
Bandung, November 7-8, 2013

Firstly, the antenna dimension had been calculated using the

basic width and length equation of the microstrip patch antenna
formula in Equation (1) to Equation (4).

The ground plane width is while the length is same as the FR-4
substrate of the basic rectangular patch antenna. The substrate
dimension is 41.44 mm width x 36.62 mm length.
TABLE I
DIMENSION OF THE DUAL LAYER RECTANGULAR MICROSTRIP
PATCH WITH H-SLOT

The width of the patch element (W) is given by:

2 fo

(1)

H r  1/ 2

The effective length is given by:

c
Le ff
2 fo H reff

(2)

The length extension, L given by:

'L

0.412h(H ref f  0.3) W  0.264

h
W
H reff  0.258 h  0.8

(3)

Part

Symbol

Dimension

Substrate width
Substrate length
Upper layer patch width
Upper layer patch length
Cut part length
Bottom layer width
Bottom layer length
H-shaped slot width
H-shaped gap
Ground width

WS

41.44
36.62
30.0
29.8
12
28.8
27.0
4.0
5.0
30.0

LS
WH
LH
LIF
WP1
LP1
WHS
GHS
WG

Actual length (L) of patch:

Le ff  2' L

(4)
LH

Then, the length, the width, the input impedance of the patch
had been evaluated and the nested fed dimensions. After that
all the dimensions need to be changed to get better
performance of the antenna, i.e. radiation patterns, reflected
loss, efficiency and antenna gain by simulating it using
simulation CST.
Figure 1 shows the basic rectangular patch antenna with the
parameter of LP1 = 27 mm length, WP1 = 28.8 mm width, insert
fed width, WIF = 2 mm, insert feed length = 11.1 mm, feedline
width, WF = 4.5 mm and length of transmission line feed, LF =
18.3 mm.

WHS

WH
GHS

LS
LP1
WG

WS

LIF
WP1

LIF

LF
Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of dual layer rectangular microstrip patch antenna
with H-slot, (a) First layer (front view), (b) Second layer with H-slot, (c)
Ground plane at first layer (back view)

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram microstrip patch antenna with insert fed

III. RESULTS

Table I and Figure 2 shows the schematic diagram and the

dimension of the dual layer rectangular microstrip patch
antenna with H-slot. The H-slot patch is located in the upper
layer of the basic rectangular microstrip patch antenna. The
thickness of the H-slot patch is 1.6 mm of FR-4 substrate with
a copper thickness of 0.035 mm. The H-slot width is 4 mm.

This section is about referring from calculation and

parametric study from simulation. This antenna has been
analyzed by simulation and then will compare with an actual
measured antenna result from experiments. The characteristic

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2013 3rd International Conference on Instrumentation, Communications, Information Technology, and Biomedical Engineering (ICICI-BME)
Bandung, November 7-8, 2013

has been compared in this work is the return loss, resonance

frequency, bandwidth, gain and radiation pattern of the
antenna.
Figure 3 shows the return loss and bandwidth of the this
antenna. Two characteristics have been defined by using the
parameter study of the antenna especially the parameter of Hshaped slot width. This different dimension will mostly affect
the return loss and bandwidth performance of the antenna. The
return loss at resonant frequency of 2.44 GHz is 19.692 dB.
The bandwidth of this antenna is at between frequency ranges
of 2.39 GHz and 2.48 GHz.

Figure 4 shows the 3D radiation pattern of the dual layer

rectangular microstrip patch antenna with H-slot. Figure 5
represents the 2D radiation pattern of dual layer rectangular
microstrip patch antenna with H-slot with different frequency
point and phase. Figure 6 and Figure 7 shows computed
surface current at 2.4 GHz and 2.45 GHz.

Fig. 3. Return loss of dual layer rectangular microstrip patch antenna with Hslot (simulation result in CST Microwave Studio)

Fig. 5. 2D radiation pattern of dual layer rectangular microstrip patch antenna

with H-slot, (a) 2.4 GHz, 00, (b) (a) 2.4 GHz, 900 , (c) 2.45 GHz, 00, (d) 2.45
GHz, 900

Fig. 6. Computed surface current of dual layer rectangular microstrip patch

antenna with H-slot at 2.4 GHz, (a) 00, (b) 900, (c) 1800, (d) 2700
Fig. 4. 3D radiation pattern of dual layer rectangular microstrip patch antenna
with H-slot, (a) 2.4 GHz, (b) 2.45 GHz

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2013 3rd International Conference on Instrumentation, Communications, Information Technology, and Biomedical Engineering (ICICI-BME)
Bandung, November 7-8, 2013

Figure 10 and Table II show the comparison return loss

and resonance frequency result between simulation and
measurement of the dual layer rectangular microstrip patch
antenna with H-slot. Although in this frequency get 2.44 GHz,
it's still in a range of frequency center of WLAN application
and also near to 2.45 GHz of RFID application. From the
graph, it shows that there have differences return loss result
between simulation and measurement but it shown that it has a
smaller difference.

Fig. 7. Computed surface current of dual layer rectangular microstrip patch

antenna with H-slot at 2.45 GHz, (a) 00, (b) 900, (c) 1800, (d) 2700

Figure 8 shows the H-slot that had been located at the upper
part of the dual layer antenna. Figure 9 shows the front view
and back view of the dual layer rectangular microstrip patch
antenna with H-slot.

Fig. 10. Measured return loss of dual layer rectangular microstrip patch
antenna with H-slot uses network analyzer

For the return loss, the simulation is better than

measurement but it's still in the target to get better that -10 dB.
Even the return loss is less than simulation, it has affected the
size of bandwidth to get better than simulation. It gets about
110 MHz and enough to support for this application. For the
resonant frequency of measurement part, the return loss is only
16.946 dB at the same frequency at 2.44 GHz. The measured
result also shows wider bandwidth of 110.00 MHz compare
with simulation only 88.56 MHz.
TABLE II
COMPARISON BETWEEN SIMULATION AND MEASUREMENT RESULT OF RETURN
LOSS, BANDWIDTH AND RESONANT FREQUENCY

Fig. 8. Rectangular patch with H-slot that act at the upper part of the dual layer
antenna

Parameter
Simulation
Measured

Return Loss,
S11 (dB)
- 19.692
- 16.946

Bandwidth
(MHz)
88.56
110.00

This antenna structure had produced gain at 3.050 dB for

simulation while for measuring value is 3.665 dB. For the
measurement result, to obtain the value of gain the equation of
power transmit, PR =PT+GR+GR-(PL+PLC1+PLC2) had been used.
On the hand, to obtain the value of directivity the equation D =
Pmax/Pave had been used. The simulation value of gain had a
small difference compared to the measurement value. While, in
the simulation value of directivity had a large difference
compared to the measurement value.
Fig. 9. Dual layer rectangular microstrip patch antenna with H-slot, (a) First
layer of basic patch antenna, (b) rectangular microstrip patch antenna with Hslot on the second layer, (c) Back view (ground plane) of the rectangular
microstrip patch antenna

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2013 3rd International Conference on Instrumentation, Communications, Information Technology, and Biomedical Engineering (ICICI-BME)
Bandung, November 7-8, 2013

[11] M. F. Jamlos, T. A. Rahman, M. R. Kamarudin, M. T. Ali, M. N. Tan, M.

A. Shamsudin, P. Saad, Integration of RFID technology into
reconfigurable Aperture Coupled Patch Array (RACPA) Antenna
Aystem, 2010 Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on
Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), pp. 1-5, 2010
[12] M. T. Ali, A Aizat, I Pasya, MH Mazlan Zaharuddin, N Ya'acob, EShape Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wideband Applications, 2010
International Workshop on Antenna Technology (iWAT), pp. 1-4, 2010
[13] H. A. Majid, M. K. A. Rahim, M. R. Hamid, M. F. Ismail, A Compact
Frequency-Reconfigurable Narrowband Microstrip Slot Antenna, IEEE
Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, pp.616-619, 2011
[14] Y. -F. Lin, P. C. Liao, P. -S. Cheng, H. -M. Chen, C. T. P. Song, P. S.
Hall, CPW-fed Capacitive H-Shaped Narrow Slot Antenna, Electronics
Letters, vol. 41, issue 7, pp. 940-942, 2005
[15] O. Noori, J. Chebil, M. Islam, S. Khan, Design of a Triple-Band h Slot
Patch Antenna, 2011 IEEE International RF and Microwave Conference
(RFM 2011), pp. 289-292, 2011

IV. CONCLUSION
The designed, simulated, fabricated and measured
rectangular microstrip patch antenna with H-shaped slot patch
has been accomplished by using CST simulation software and
measured work in the laboratory. This work, managed to obtain
the frequency, gain, return loss and radiation pattern at
frequencies 2.4 GHz for WLAN application and 2.45 GHz for
RFID application. All the target of the specification had been
achieved. For future design, we can improve our antenna
stability of the coverage by changing the thickness of the
copper and substrate.
For design structure in the future, the performance
significantly can be improved by using another method such as
embedded split ring resonator (SRR) added dielectric resonator
on the patch antenna. For the improvement the gain
performance, the array of antenna can be used. It can improve
about double the value of gain. Besides that, the type of the slot
antenna also can be improving the gain.

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