Improving Simulation Accuracy of Printed Antennas via Frequency-Dependent Permittivity Adjustment

Abstract

Significant discrepancies between the simulated and measured resonant frequencies in printed antennas often originate from over-simplified dielectric modeling. We present a validation strategy based on the frequency-dependent adjustment of the real part of the relative permittivity εr(f), motivated by the discrepancies between the simulated and measured return loss. We present V.N.A measurements for the return loss of micro-strip patch antennas printed on PCB and explain some details of the finite element simulations. The commercial platform employed, the materials and the boundary conditions, particularly, the implementation of a frequency-dependent permittivity function. We discuss the implications and validity of the present approach and finally show the agreement between the predicted and measured return loss in a broad frequency range. Based on the comparison between the experiment and the simulations, we discuss the limitations of the present approach and the perspective of continuation