Analysis and Design of Radiating Elements Using HFSS

HFSS Workshop, San Jose, California February 17, 2005 Peter Slttman Cushcraft Corporation
peters@cushcraft.com

Overview
Types of Antennas, Radiating Elements, and Applications. Analysis and Design Using HFSS. Conclusions

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HFSS Workshop San Jose, California

Antenna Types and Radiating Elements

Planar Array Elevated Patch Pencil Beam Antenna Linear Array Spider Element High Gain Omni Antenna

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HFSS Workshop San Jose, California

Planar Array with Elevated Patch Element

Diamond Grid for Sidelobe Performance Frequency: 3.3-3.6GHz Point-to-Point or Pointto-Multipoint Communication.

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HFSS Workshop San Jose, California

Elevated Patch Unit Cell

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HFSS Workshop San Jose, California

Elevated Patch Unit Cell Contd

Unit cell utilizing HFSS Results electric and magnetic symmetry planes. The three patch slices add up to one full patch. Provides elementto-element isolation estimate.
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Radiation Boundary Radome

Magnetic wall Electric wall

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S-parameters
Unit Cell with Radome S11 S21

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S-parameters
Unit Cell without Radome S11 S21

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HFSS Workshop San Jose, California

Thinned Unit Cell

The radome, not shown, is included in the following analysis.

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S-parameters
Thinned Unit Cell with Radome S11

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S-parameter Comparison for Different Unit Cell Configurations

Complete Unit Cell No Radome Thinned Unit Cell with Radome Complete Unit Cell with Radome

S11 [dB]

Frequency [GHz]
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Field Animation Driven Element

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Field Animation Passive Element

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Planar Array Radiation Pattern

Measured

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Summary
Unit cell for planar array in diamond configuration. Radome effects important to include in element design. Unit cell that slices multiple patches provides element-to-element isolation estimate.

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Spider Element
Linear Array: Sector or Omni Coverage Corporate Fed 13dBi Omni Antenna Horizontal Polarization Frequency Band: 2.7-2.9 GHz

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Spider Element Unit Cell

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Spider Element Unit Cell

Magnetic Symmetry Plane

Magnetic Symmetry Plane

Radiation Boundary
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HFSS Workshop San Jose, California

Spider Element Contd

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Spider Element Contd

Azimuth X-pol (Outside scale) Elevation Co-pol

Azimuth Co-pol

Elevation X-pol

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Spider Element Contd

Element Matching - Calculated

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Spider Element Radiation Pattern

Measured

Ele va tio np lan e

e lan p tal n rizo Ho

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Conclusions
Array element design benefits greatly from a full 3D solver. Analysis of new complex element geometries possible. Radome effects critically important in radiating element design. Choice of unit cell can provide isolation data.
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