Experiment 11

Aim:- To Know About The Antenna Design Softwares.

Apparatus:- Laptop/PC.

Theory:-

Below are some brief explanations on the important terminologies that form the back bone of
antenna design.

Antenna Dimensions. The structural dimensions of an antenna plays a huge role in

determining its functions, parasitic effect and the analytical method to be used in modelling
the computational electrodynamics of the antenna.

Material Properties. It is common knowledge that certain materials enhance the

propagation, frequency reach and effect of an antenna etc. all these factors also play a part in
the aesthetic design of the antenna.

Analytical Modeling Method. These are the computational simulations that determine how
the antenna functions, its frequency range and its electro-magnetic behaviour.

There are several methods that can be used for analytical modelling and they include; the
Method of Moments (MoM) technique, Finite Difference Time Domain method (FDTD),
Finite Element method etc.

There are mainly eleven softwares that gives easy solution to design an antenna

They are.

1). AnSofts HFSS

2). Microwave Studios CST

3). PCAAD

4). Momentum 3D Planar

5). FEKO

6). National Instrumentations AWR

7). CHAMP

8). Megus
9). Sonnet

10). MMANA-GAL

11). IE3D for Antenna Design

1). AnSofts HFSS:-

HFSS, which is an acronym for high frequency structural simulator, is one of the most
advanced 3D EM software that is commonly used in antenna design and for the design of
complex RF electronic circuits.

The software is also equipped with the necessary features and tools for designing filters,
transmission lines and modeling.

Some of its features

include:

IT bases its design and

analysis method on the
Finite Element Method

It integrates an
automated design
process that allows the
user to simply specify
his/her required
geometry, design
material properties etc.
and the software
generates a mesh that meets these specifications

It supports the design of linear circuits

2). Microwave Studios CST:-

This is a CAD software built specially for the simulation of 3D Ems and antenna design.

The software is unique due to its support for designing componentsfiltersthat support
high frequency propagations.

And like most 3D EM platforms, it can be used to analyse multi-layer structures, and the EM
behaviour of high frequency designs. The software comes with the following features and
functions:
 Mws CST integrates features such as Perfect Boundary Approximation (PBA), the
Thin Sheet Technique and True Geometry Adaptation which goes a long way in
improving the efficiency of its time domain and frequency calculation metrics thereby
improving design accuracy.
The software also integrates filters that support the import of CAD files from other 3D
EM as well as the extraction of SPICE parameters reduces the time required for
designing a working prototype
It supports designs of linear or non-linear material models and its complete package
comes with solver tools that can be configured to use certain solution methodsMoM,
FDTDdepending on the users requirements.

3). PCAAD:-

PCAAD 7.0 is a Windowscompatible antenna analysis, modeling, and design software

package. It contains more than 50 routines treating wire antennas, aperture antennas,
microstrip antennas, arrays, transmission lines and waveguides, and more. These routines are
integrated into a menudriven, userfriendly system allowing you to quickly evaluate the
performance of a wide variety of antenna types. PCAAD 7.0 includes a 120-page printed user
manual which describes the use of the software, provides examples for each of the routines,
and lists technical references.

analysis of symmetric and offset parabolic reflector antennas

 analysis of spherical reflector antennas

viewing of amplitude and phase

distributions for reflectors

modeling of horizontal and vertical dipole

over a ground plane

full-wave analysis of multilayer stripline

full-wave analysis of multilayer microstrip

line

full-wave analysis of surface waves on a

multilayer substrate

analysis of coupled striplines and couple

microstrip lines

calculation of antenna beam efficiency

polar and rectangular pattern plots with up

to five patterns

Smith chart plots with up to five plots

3-D pattern plots are faster, and have an optional cross-section view

tutorials on transmission lines, the Smith chart, and small antennas

improved graphics, error checking, and Help

4). Momentum 3D Planar:-

Momentum is the leading 3D planar electromagnetic (EM) simulator used for passive circuit
modeling and analysis. It accepts arbitrary design geometries (including multi-layer
structures) and uses frequency-domain Method of Moments (MoM) technology to accurately
simulate complex EM effects including coupling and parasitics. Accurate EM simulation
enables RF/MMIC designers, RF/High-Speed Board Designers, RF Module/SiP Designers
and Antenna Designers to improve design performance and increase confidence that the
manufactured product will meet spec. Momentum is also integrated with ADS and Genesys,
along with third party tools from Cadence, Mentor and Zuken.
Key Benefits of Momentum
Combines full-wave and quasi-static EM solvers for RF passives, high-frequency
interconnects and parasitic modeling
Efficient meshing, adaptive frequency sampling and threaded NlogN solver which
reduces simulation time
Able to simulate complex EM effects including skin effect, substrate effect, thick
metals and multiple dielectrics

Patch antennas and planar array

antennas can be completely analyzed
using Momentum G2 simulation
technology.

5). FEKO:-

Antenna Analysis and Design using FEKO

Electromagnetic Simulation Software provides a comprehensive tutorial, combining theory
with practical applications for the analysis and design of a wide variety of antenna
configurations simulated on FEKO, the leading real-world commercial software programme.

Combining the theoretical study of antennas, with a wealth of practical hands-on examples,
this book addresses various antenna types. Firstly to serve as an introduction to the
fundamental concepts and requirements of full-wave simulations, the most basic (including
wire dipoles and loop antennas) are outlined. Following this, the more complicated and
practical designs are described, such as broadband microstrip patches and high-gain reflector
antennas.

All design types will be simulated on FEKO, the leading real-world commercial software
programme for electromagnetics which serves as a powerful educational tool to fully
understand the radiation behaviour of antennas. FEKO provides multiple solvers that can be
chosen for a fast and efficient analysis depending on the type of antenna and offers a free
classroom license for universities.

Application

3D antenna design
analysis of horns, microstrip patches, wire antennas, reflector antennas, conformal
antennas, broadband antennas, arrays
 Antenna placement
analysis of antenna radiation patterns, radiation hazard zones, etc. with an antenna
placed on a large structure, e.g. ship, aircraft, armoured car
Electromagnetic coupling and interference (EMC, EMI)
analysis of diverse EMC problems including shielding effectiveness of an enclosure,
cable coupling analysis in complex environments, e.g. wiring in a car, radiation hazard
analysis
Bio-electromagnetics
analysis of homogeneous or non-homogeneous bodies, SAR extraction
3D RF components
analysis of waveguide structures, e.g. filter, slotted antennas, directional couplers
3D EM circuits
analysis of microstrip filters, couplers, inductors, etc.
Radomes
analysis of multiple dielectric layers in a large structure
Scattering problems
RCS analysis of large and small structures

6). National Instrumentations AWR:-

NI AWR Design Environment helps engineers design, optimize, and integrate antennas and
antenna arrays. It provides powerful EM technologies to simulate antenna metrics such as
gain, return loss, radiation efficiency, and currents, and to visualize 2D/3D far-field antenna
patterns. NI AWR software also accelerates design starts with AntSyn, a cloud-based
software as a service (SaaS) solution, for synthesis of physical antennas based on user-

specified performance requirements.

7). CHAMP:-

The ultimate tool for superior design of horns and reflectors with rotational symmetry.
Introducing productivity enhancements that create an intuitive environment and a
very short learning curve for the rookie, while still giving the expert access to an incredible
array of features to thoroughly optimize our antenna system.
8). Megus:-

Antenna Magus is a software tool to help accelerate the

antenna design and modelling process. It increases
efficiency by helping the engineer to make a more
informed choice of antenna element, providing a good
starting design. Validated antenna models can be
exported to CST MICROWAVE STUDIO from a
huge antenna database which means that the engineer
can get to the customisation phase of an antenna design
quickly and reliably.

Antenna Magus has proven to be an invaluable aid to

antenna design engineers and anyone who requires
antenna models for antenna placement and/or
electromagnetic interference studies.

9). Sonnet:-
Sonnet provides precise S-parameters, current density and far-field radiation pattern (both RH
and LH circular polarizations are shown for the x-axis
cut).

10). MMANA-GAL :-

MMANA-GAL L is an antenna-analyzing tool based on the moment method, which was

introduced in MININEC version 3. The BASIC source code of the computation engine is
published as a PDS in MININEC. The program use the MININEC-3 engine modified by
Alexandre Schewelew, DL1PBD, and are written in C++.

MMANA-GAL has the following functions:

Table-based editor for antenna design and definition

Graphical antenna viewer
Viewer for horizontal and vertical beam radiation patterns
3D radiation pattern
Comparator for two or more "calculation" results
Antenna element editor
Antenna wire editor
Tools for defining the combination of elements with different diameters
Automatic antenna optimizer with respect to jX, SWR, Gain, F/B, Elevation, and
Current
Ability to browse optimized results with manual tuning capability
Frequency characteristics chart maker
Data file generator
User language (any)
11). IE3D for Antenna Design:-

Today's high performance antenna array design requires both, large capacity EM simulation
and unit array cell EM design and optimization capabilities. Getting the array unit cell right
from the start is essential before replicating into a larger antenna array structure. And if
accuracy is sought, then the designer needs to be extremely careful with approaches that
formulate estimated boundary conditions for unit cells used within larger arrays. These
approaches typically suffer from poor capacity limits and do not accurately model the EM
behavior between unit cells, especially for cells on the antenna array periphery. IE3D-SSD
offers FASTEM to thoroughly explore the relevant design space and optimize the geometry
for each unique unit cell.
In addition, IE3D-SSD's superior
capacity and run-time enable
even the largest antenna arrays to
be solved in least amount of
time. IE3D-SSD is the best
solution for our antenna design.