IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS, VOL.

8, 2009

935

Signal Flow Graph for a Probe-Fed Microstrip Patch Antenna

J. E. Ruyle, Graduate Student Member, IEEE, and J. T. Bernhard, Senior Member, IEEE
AbstractComplex coupling environments are difcult to represent analytically. Signal ow graphs offer an analysis method for such networks, allowing network elements to be treated individually. These elements can then be reintegrated and ultimately analyzed using Masons Gain Rule. This letter presents a signal ow graph of the microstrip patch antenna, a simple coupling network, that is often an element in large, more complex coupling networks. Comparisons between results from the signal ow graph and the traditional transmission line model are provided. Index TermsAntenna input impedance, coupling circuits, microstrip antennas, modeling.

I. INTRODUCTION ANY models for the microstrip patch antenna have been published [1][4]; however, a signal ow graph of the patch antenna has never been considered. Ever since Masons Gain Rule was introduced by Mason in [5] and [6] and extended to describe microwave networks by Hunton [7], signal ow graphs have been used as a graphical method to analyze networks [8], [9]. In [8], the authors use signal ow graphs to nd the effect of loading transmission lines with nonlinear terminations. In [9], signal ow graphs and Masons Gain Rule were used to develop RF software for use in a classroom environment. Complex coupling environments are difcult to represent analytically. They result in multiple port networks that are highly interrelated. Signal ow graphs offer an analysis method that allows for a decomposition of the complexity. The complex network can be broken down into elements that can be analyzed individually. These elements can then be reintegrated through the use of signal ow graphs and ultimately analyzed using Masons Gain Rule. This letter presents a signal ow graph of the microstrip patch antenna. Patch antennas are simple coupling networks that are often elements of more complex coupling networks. Once the basic signal ow graph is known for the patch antenna, it can be applied in a larger system and used to isolate effects such as package detuning. In these cases, the transmission line model would become unmanageable and difcult to solve analytically when extended to include more complex environments. This letter builds the signal ow graph for a probe-fed microstrip patch antenna by describing each element of the antenna. The next section contains an in-depth derivation of the
Manuscript received May 27, 2009; revised June 25, 2009. First published July 14, 2009; current version published August 25, 2009. This work was supported in part by the U.S. Army Research Ofce under Grant W911NF-06-0366. The authors are with the Electromagnetics Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA (e-mail: jruyle2@illinois.edu; jbernhar@illinois.edu). Digital Object Identier 10.1109/LAWP.2009.2027726

Fig. 1. Various forms of the probe, including (a) graphical description of how the probe connection should be analyzed in a microstrip patch antenna, (b) circuit model of probe to nd S-parameters of probe, and (c) signal ow graph describing the probe connection in a probe-fed microstrip patch antenna.

required model for the probe. Section III composes the signal ow graph of the patch antenna neglecting coupling. A derivation of the S-parameter network describing coupling between the radiating edges is presented in Section IV. These S-parameters are then incorporated into the signal ow graph derived in Section III. Finally, the results of the signal ow graph are compared with that of the traditional transmission line model. II. PROBE MODEL Consideration of the feeding structure of the probe-fed microstrip patch antenna reveals that the probe must be considered as a three-port network as shown in Fig. 1(a). A signal must be allowed to ow from the input port to both sides of the patch while also allowing a signal to ow from one side of the patch to the other. Port 1 is the input port, and ports 2 and 3 connect to the left and right sides of the patch, respectively, which will be dened in Section III. To nd the S-parameters for this network, an impedance of is added as the load to ports 2 and 3 as shown in Fig. 1(b). is the reference impedance for the entire system and is dened as the characteristic impedance of the cable connected to the input port of the antenna. The analysis of the probe is similar to that of a power divider. will be equal to ; therefore (1) since the network is symmetric. As can be seen in (1), the chosen does not change the results of the analysis since it value of

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IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS, VOL. 8, 2009

Fig. 2. Signal ow graph describing a probe-fed microstrip patch antenna neglecting a coupling signal path between the radiating edges of the patch antenna.

factors out. The rest of the coefcients for the network can be found using the same loading conditions. By denition [10] (2) when ports 2 and 3 are terminated in . Therefore (3) Since, by denition (4) when ports 2 and 3 are terminated in the probe, it is clear that so . From the diagram of which can be used to obtain the input impedanceor equivaof the antenna. This signal ow graph is shown in lently, Fig. 2. Each side of the patch antenna can be modeled as a short piece of transmission line, for which the S-parameters are well refers to an S-parameter for the known [10]. In the graph, transmission line to the left of the probe, and refers to an S-parameter to the right of the probe. Left and right are dened in Fig. 3, which shows a circuit model of the microstrip patch antenna. The loads at the ends of these transmission lines represent the radiating edges of the patch, approximated by , the self-admittance of the equivalent radiating slot [4]. This simple model neglects coupling between the two equivalent radiating slots, but this coupling is included in the model in Section IV. Therefore (7)
Fig. 3. Circuit model for the probe-fed microstrip patch antenna neglecting coupling.

(5) and since the network is symmetric and reciprocal (6) Therefore, the signal ow graph for the probe is as shown in Fig. 1(c). Of course, the model could be extended to include a probe impedance (often inductive) by adding an additional network to the input port of the probe. The method for incorporating multiple networks into one signal ow graph is described in [10]. To simulate any probe model, simply convert the model to S-parameters and incorporate the model as a two-port network across and . III. SIGNAL FLOW GRAPH WITHOUT MUTUAL COUPLING Using the model for the probe derived in the last section, the signal ow graph for the entire patch antenna can be found,

Due to the complexity of the patchs signal ow graph, a program was used to calculate the input reection coefcient. The program, mason.m, employs Masons Rule to evaluate a signal ow graph [11]. The formula for , from which the input impedance to the antenna can be determined, is shown in (8) at the bottom of the page. This approach is valid for any structure that can be described in terms of S-parameters.

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RUYLE AND BERNHARD: SIGNAL FLOW GRAPH FOR A PROBE-FED MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA

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Fig. 4. Signal ow graph describing a probe-fed microstrip patch antenna including a coupling signal path between the radiating edges of the patch antenna.

Fig. 5. Circuit model for the probe-fed microstrip patch antenna.

Fig. 6. Circuit model for the load and current source induced by mutual coupling between the radiating edges of the patch antenna.

IV. SIGNAL FLOW GRAPH WITH MUTUAL COUPLING When coupling between the patchs radiating edges is considered, the loads of the transmission line change to include a voltage-dependent current source. The circuit diagram for the probe-fed microstrip patch antenna including coupling is shown in Fig. 5. In the circuit, the input port is marked by , and the left and right edges of the patch are marked by and , respectively. This circuit model is the same as the one used in [4]. To nd the coupling between the radiating edges of the patch antenna, the loads must be considered together as a circuit. The circuit diagram for considering the loads together is shown in Fig. 6. The loads and current sources of both slots are connected in one circuit model so that the transmission coefcient describing the coupling between the slots can be found. The value for (the mutual admittance between the slots) can be found from [4]. and for this circuit will simply be the reection coefcient from the equivalent admittance of the radiating edges as dened earlier. of the load circuit can be found as before by loading one port with . Since we are nding , port 2 is loaded with . For these conditions (9) By denition, as discussed earlier (10) Therefore (11)

Fig. 7. Graph plotting the calculated magnitude and angle of S for a microstrip patch antenna using both the signal ow model derived in this letter and the transmission line model derived in [4].

The signal ow graph for the microstrip patch antenna including coupling between the radiating edges of the antenna is shown in Fig. 4. The graph is the same as before when coupling was not included except for an extra signal path . will be equal to the transmission coefcient, (11), found for the network considering the load circuits together. The input reection coefcient was found as earlier by using the program mason.m. To simplify the equation, the transmission line networks were assumed to be reciprocal and symmetric. The input reection coefcient including coupling in the analysis was found to be as shown in (12) at the top of the next page. V. COMPARISON OF EQUATION WITH TRANSMISSION LINE MODEL To conrm that the equation found using the signal ow graph analysis was the same as that found using the transmission line model [4], a patch antenna was analyzed using both methods. A comparison of the magnitude and phase of the reection coefcient from the input port of the antenna found using both methods is shown in Fig. 7. The patch antenna analyzed had a substrate relative permittivity of 2.2, a length of 4 cm, and a width of 3 cm. The reference impedance, , was 50 . As can clearly be seen in the gure, the methods arrive at identical

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IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS, VOL. 8, 2009

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results. Therefore, the signal ow graph method of analysis derived in this letter is equivalent to the transmission line model while also offering a more manageable format for the analysis of large, complex coupling networks. VI. CONCLUSION This letter presented a new method of analysis for a probe-fed microstrip patch antenna. This method is more general than the previously presented transmission line model and allows for the simple integration into large, complex networks. The signal ow graph method of analysis offers many opportunities to create higher order models of microstrip patch antennas and the complex networks such as packaged environments, in which patch antennas are often found. REFERENCES
[1] R. E. Munson, Conformal microstrip antennas and microstrip phased arrays, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. AP-22, no. 1, pp. 7478, Jan. 1974.

[2] A. G. Derneryd, Linearly polarized microstrip antennas, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. AP-24, no. 6, pp. 846851, Nov. 1976. [3] W. F. Richards, Y. T. Lo, and D. D. Harrison, An improved theory of microstrip antennas and applications, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. AP-29, no. 1, pp. 3846, Jan. 1981. [4] H. Pues and A. Van. de Capelle, Accurate transmission line model for the rectangular microstrip antenna, IEE Proc., vol. 131, pp. 334340, Dec. 1984. [5] S. J. Mason, Feedback theorySome properties of signal ow graphs, Proc. IRE, vol. 41, pp. 11441156, Sep. 1953. [6] S. J. Mason, Feedback theoryFurther properties of signal ow graphs, Proc. IRE, vol. 44, pp. 920926, Jul. 1956. [7] J. K. Hunton, Analysis of microwave measurement techniques by means of signal ow graphs, IRE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. MTT-8, no. 2, pp. 206212, Mar. 1960. [8] J. E. Schutt-Aine and R. Mittra, Scattering parameter transient analysis of transmission line loaded with nonlinear terminations, IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 529536, Mar. 1988. [9] S. W. Wedge, Wave computations for microwave education, IEEE Trans. Educ., vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 127131, Feb. 1993. [10] D. M. Pozar, Microwave Engineering., 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005. [11] R. Walton, mason.m, 2001 [Online]. Available: www.mathworks.com, Downloaded on Nov. 20, 2008.