182 PIERS Proceedings, Hangzhou, China, March 24-28, 2008

The Dipole Antenna Array Design with Balun Integration

Guan-Yu Chen1 , Jwo-Shiun Sun1 , Cheng-Hung Lin2 , Kwong-Kau Tiong2 , and Y. D. Chen3
1
Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan
2
Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan
3
Antenna and EMC Laboratory, High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC), Taiwan

Abstract— In this paper, the array antenna design is suitable for wireless LAN, radio iden-
tification, wireless sensor and short rage intelligent wireless communication. In this design, the
1 × 2 dipole antenna feed network with magic T and divider two wide bandwidth planar tapered
balun is studied.

1. INTRODUCTION
In this dipole antenna array design, the dipole antenna feed network with wide bandwidth tapered
microstrip balun is studied [1]. The design and experimental results [2] of low profile embedded
microstrip dipole antenna with tapered microstrip balun shows fairly good performances. The
feed network of the design with wide bandwidth and lower power loss tapered microstrip line
to overlap coplanar stripline (CPS) transition that provided unbalanced to balanced line with
balanced equal power output of phase difference. The achieved planar embedded ISM band dipole
antenna exhibits wider bandwidths at 2.4 GHz center frequency, respectively. Apply full wave
EM analyses and shows good agreement with those experimental data. Balanced network feed
for dipole antenna not only exhibits equal power magnitude with 180◦ phase difference but also
improves matching capability. Balanced to unbalanced (Balun) transformers is commonly applied
in many applications such as balanced mixer, push-pull amplifier, balanced frequency multipliers,
phase shifters, matching structures, etc. Double Y balun, Marchand balun, etc. as the antenna
feed networks are hard to implement with complex transition problem to solve. A simple and quick
method of balun network [1, 2] is proposed as a feeding network for low profile planar dipole antenna.
The simple tapered balun for the designed dipole antenna exhibits fairly good performances and
compact size. The balanced transmission line with an embedded balun for a half wavelength dipole
antenna is shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

Figure 1: The proposed 1 × 2 dipole array (top). Figure 2: The proposed 1 × 2 dipole array (bottom).

2. ARRAY ANTENNA DESIGN AND RESULTS

The design and experimental results of low profile embedded dipole antenna array (Fig. 1 and
Fig. 2) with tapered balun shows fairly good performances and antenna gain. The feed network of
the design with wider bandwidth and lower power loss tapered microstrip line to coplanar stripline
(CPS) transition that provided unbalanced to balanced line with balanced equal power output of
phase difference. The achieved planar embedded wider band dipole antenna array exhibits antenna
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium, Hangzhou, China, March 24-28, 2008 183

Return Loss & VSWR

0 4
DB(|S[1,1]|) (L)

VSWR[1] (R)

-10 3

dB -20 2

-30 1
2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3
Frequency (GHz)

Figure 3: The measured data of return loss and VSWR.

Figure 4: 3D antenna measurements.

ˆ˗ʳ˔́̇˸́́˴ʳˠ˸˴̆̈̅˸̀˸́̇

ˋ
ˉ
ˇ
˘˹˹˼˶˼˸́˶̌
˅
˷˕

˗˼̅˸˶̇˼̉˼̇̌
˃
˚˴˼́
ˀ˅
ˀˇ
ˀˉ
˅˃˃˃ ˅˄˃˃ ˅˅˃˃ ˅ˆ˃˃ ˅ˇ˃˃ ˅ˈ˃˃ ˅ˉ˃˃ ˅ˊ˃˃ ˅ˋ˃˃ ˅ˌ˃˃ ˆ˃˃˃
˙̅˸̄̈˸́˶̌ʳʻˠ˛̍ʼ

Figure 5: The measured data of 3D antenna performance.

184 PIERS Proceedings, Hangzhou, China, March 24-28, 2008

bandwidths (Fig. 3) cover WLAN (IEEE 802.11a/b), RFID (ISM band) and DSRC (IEEE 802.11p),
respectively. Apply full wave EM analyses and shows good agreement with those experimental data.
The 3D antenna measued method [3–6] and data are shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5.
3. CONCLUSIONS
In this wide band dipole design, low profile tapered microstrip line balun feed dipole array antennas
with center frequencies at 2.4 GHz is study. The measured results show fairly good performances
and fine agreements with those simulated data from full wave EM analyses. The embedded dipole
antenna array with matching tapered ground plane exhibits an available bandwidth as well as
good impedance matching with a feeding balun. The achieved planar embedded wide band dipole
antenna array exhibits wide bandwidths at 2.4 GHz center frequency. The radiation efficiency and
return loss of the dipole antenna array fill the bill and anticipation of the design.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors acknowledge the Antenna and Wireless System Integration Department of High Tech
Computer, Corp (HTC), Taiwan for sport the wireless technique and measurement environment.
REFERENCES
1. Chen, G. Y. and J. S. Sun, “A printed dipole antenna with effective microstrip tapered balun,”
Microwave & Optical Technology Letters, 344–346, Feb. 2004.
2. Chen, G. Y. and J. S. Sun, “Low profile planar dipole antenna,” IEE Electronics Letters,
790–792, June 2004.
3. CTIA, http://www.ctia.org/
4. Test Plane for Mobile Station over the Air Performance, Revision 2.1, Cellular Telecommuni-
cations & Internet Association (CTIA), Washington, D.C., Apr. 2005.
5. Stutzman, L. W., Antenna Theory and Design, John Wiley, 1998.
6. Balanis, A. C., Antenna Theory, John Wiley, 2005.