GPSPassivePatchAntennas ApplicationNote

Lastupdate:2011/06/22

Generalconsiderations
Microstrip patch antennas have several wellknown advantages over other type of antennas: theyarelowprofile,lightweight,lowcost,mechanicallyrobust,andcompatiblewithmicrowave monolithicintegratedcircuits(MMICs).Becauseofthesemerits,microstrippatchantennashave been utilized in many applications such as mobile communication base stations and satellite communication systems. However, it is important to note that, despite the previously mentionedfeatures,theysufferfromseveralinherentdisadvantages.Namely,theyhavesmall bandwidth (a singlepatch microstrip antenna with a thin substrate, thickness less than 0.02 freespacewavelength,generallyhasanarrowbandwidthoflessthan5%)andandtheirpattern andradiationefficiencyisheavilydependentonthesizeofthegroundplanetheyareinstalled on. Therelativesimplicityingeneratingcircularpolarizationandthelowcostarethemainreasons whymicrostrippatchantennashavebeenwidelyutilizedforsatellitecommunicationsandGNSS applications. Principlesofoperation Microstrippatchantennasconsistofametalpatchonagroundedsubstrate.Thepatchradiates fromfringingfieldsarounditsedges,anditspatternmaximumisatbroadside.Forimpedance matchingpurposes,thepatchcanbemodeledasaresonantcavity.Attheresonancefrequency the radiation resistance dominates the real part of the impedance. The reactance can be minimized by properly positioning the feeding pin and the antenna achieves peak efficiency. Withoutpropermatching,littlepowerradiates.Thelengthofthepatch(nonradiatingedges)is typicallyg/2(wheregisthewavelengthinsidethesubstrate). This means that the smaller is the patch (if the dielectric constant and the thickness of the substrate do not change) the higher is the operating frequency. Thicker substrates deliver greater bandwidth, but they increase the possibility of higherorder mode excitation and surfacewavelosses.Asthethicknessisreduced,thelossesincreasesignificantlyandthetotal efficiencydegradestoapointwherethebandwidthremainsconstant. Patches are usually manufactured by etching or metal deposition techniques on a low loss dielectric or ceramic substrate. . The substrate generally has a thickness in the range of0.01 0.05freespacewavelength(0).Itisusedprimarilytoprovideproperspacingandmechanical supportbetweenthepatchanditsgroundplane.ForGPSapplicationshighdielectricconstant material is used to load the patch and reduce the size. However, higher dielectric constant translatesinsmallerantennavolumeandsignificantlyreducethebandwidth.

 Ideally, the dimensions of the substrate and the ground plane should be several wavelengths long to achieve the best performances from a microstrip patch antenna. In practice, they are usually comparable to the size of the metallic patch. It is important to understand how the patchperformancesvaryinrelationtothesizeofthegroundplanetotheirrelativeposition.

Fig.1Maxtenaceramicpatchantennas.

Maxtenaceramicpatchantennas
Maxtena offers five different ceramic patch GPS antennas (see Fig. 1). Each antenna has differentsizeandcharacteristics,whicharesummarizedinthefollowingtable:
Size(mm) Efficiency Polarization RealizedGain AxialRatio Bandwidth(1dB) CPrejection

MPA104
10X10X4 45% RHCP 2dBic 1.5dB(typical) 2.5db(max) 10MHz 15dB(typical) 10dB(min)

MPA124

MPA154
15X15X4 70% RHCP 4dBic 1.5dB(typical) 2.5db(max) 10MHz 15dB(typical) 10dB(min)

MPA184
18X18X4 70% RHCP 4.5dBic 1.5dB(typical) 2.5db(max) 16MHz 15dB(typical) 10dB(min)

MPA254
25X25X4 80% RHCP 5dBic 1.5dB(typical) 2.5db(max) 20MHz 15dB(typical) 10dB(min)

12X12X4 50% RHCP 3dBic 1.5dB(typical) 2.5db(max) 10MHz 15dB(typical) 10dB(min)

Itisimportanttonotethatthesecharacteristichavebeenmeasuredplacingthepatchesinthe middle of a 3X3 in (76X76 mm) ground plane. When the patches are mounted in different positionsoronadifferentsizegroundplane,theirperformancesaresubjecttochange.

Groundplanesizeeffects
Inthefollowing,theeffectsofachangeinsizeofthegroundplaneareexamined,bymeansofa softwaresimulation,fora18X18X4mmpatchantenna(seeFig.2),tunedtooperateintheGPS L1band.Thisantennahasthefollowingcharacteristicswhensimulatedon3X3ingroundplane:
Efficiency 80% RealizedGain 4.7dBic AxialRatio 1dB Bandwidth(1dB) 13MHz CPrejection 20dB Frequency 1576MHz

Fig.2Drawingofthepatchwiththerelevantdimensions(mm).

Whenthegroundplanesizechangestheresonancefrequencyofthepatch,wherethematching isoptimal,changesaswell.InFig.3(a)thefrequencywherethepeakgainoccursisreportedasa functionofthegroundplanesizeL.ThelengthLspansfrom18mmto76mm.Itcanbenoted thatasthegroundplanesizevariesthecenterfrequencychangessignificantly.Asaresult,the patchisnottunedanymoreatthenominalfrequency(1576MHz).Alltheothercharacteristics willchangeaccordingly.Inparticular,whilethebandwidthhaslessthan10MHzvariation(see Fig.3(b)),theRHCPgaindropsfrom4.7dBictoalmost3dBic(seeFig.4(a)),whenLvariesfrom 76mmto18mm,whichistheactualsizeofthepatchsubstrate.Tofullyunderstandtheeffect of the variation of ground plane size on the patch radiation characteristics it is important to properlydefinethedifferencebetweenthenominalfrequency,inthiscase1576MHz,andthe actualpeakorcenterfrequency.Ifapatchistunedtoworkataspecificnominalfrequencyona reference ground plane, when installed on a different ground might produce a peak gain at a different frequency. As a result the response at the desired nominal frequency might be severely degraded, but the overall radiation characteristics might still be acceptable at the actualcenterfrequency.

 Toproperlyestimatetheextentofthedegradationonperformancelinkedtoasmallerground planeandderivepossibleremediesitisusefultotrackthekeyperformancemetricsbothatthe nominalfrequencyandactualcenterfrequency.Fig.4(b),forinstance,summarizesthebehavior oftheradiationefficiencyasthesizeofthegroundplanedecreasesatthenominalandcenter frequencies. The nominal frequency is 1576 MHz, which is the design frequency on a 3X3 in groundplane,andattheactualcenterfrequencyvariesasinFig.3(a).Itisworthnotingthata changeinsizeofthegroundplanedrasticallydeterioratetheperformancesofthepatchat1576 MHz.However,ifthepatchistunedagainforeachvalueofL,thisdegradationcanbemitigated. InFig.5(a)thedirectivityisshown:itfollowsasimilartrend.
1.58 20

1.57 Center frequency (GHz) 15 Bandwidth (MHz) 10 20 30 40 50 L(mm) 60 70 80 1.56

1.55

10

1.54

5 1.53

1.52

0 10 20 30 40 50 L(mm) 60 70 80

Fig.3(a)Centerfrequencyand(b)bandwidthasafunctionofthelengthL.

The ground plane size variation has also depolarization effects. In Fig. 5(b) the axial ratio is reportedasafunctionofthelengthL.ItcanbenotedhowtheaxialratioquicklyincreasesasL decreasesifthepatchisnotproperlytuned.
10
100

80

Gain (dBic)

-5

Efficiency (%)

60

40

-10

20

-15 10 20 30 40 50 L(mm) 60 70 80

0 10 20 30 40 50 L(mm) 60 70 80

Fig.4(a)RHCPgainasafunctionofthelengthL.(b)EfficiencyasafunctionofthelengthL.Legend:whitedots: realized gain/radiation efficiency at center frequency; triangles: gain/radiation efficiency at 1576 MHz; black dots: realizedgain/totalefficiencyat1576MHz.


10 40 35 30 5 Axial ratio (dB) Direcitvity (dB) 25 20 15 10 5 -5 10 20 30 40 50 L(mm) 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 L(mm) 60 70 80

Fig.5(a)Directivityand(b)axialratioat1576MHzafunctionofthelengthL.Legend:whitedots:directivity/axial ratioatcenterfrequencies;blackdots:directivity/axialratioat1576MHz.

Positioning
Thepositionofthepatchontopofthegroundplanehaseffectsontheradiationpropertiesof theantennasimilartoavariationofthesizeL.Inthefollowingsomeresultsarereportedforthe patchmovingonthediagonalofthegroundplane,startingfromthecenter(seeFig.6).Results arereportedinFigs.7,8,and9.Whileefficiencyandbandwidtharebarelysensitivetothepatch position,unlessthepatchisreallyclosetotheedgeofthegroundplane,thepeakgainandthe centerfrequencyvarysignificantly.Thedominanteffectisdepolarization.AsitisshowninFig.7, theaxialratioat1576MHzincreasesfrom1dBto20dB,asthepatchismoved.

Fig.6Drawingofthepatchona76X76mmgroundplane,withtherelevantdimensions(mm).Distancefromthe edgeofthegroundplane(a)D=29mm,(b)D=0mm.


1.58 20

1.57 Center frequency (GHz) 15 1.56 Bandwidth (MHz)

1.55

10

1.54

5 1.53

1.52 0 5 10 15 D (mm) 20 25 30

0 0 5 10 15 D (mm) 20 25 30

Fig.7(a)Centrefrequencyand(b)bandwidthasafunctionofthedistancedfromthecenterofthegroundplane.
8
100

80

Gain (dBic)

Efficiency (%)

60

40

20

-2 0 5 10 15 D (mm) 20 25 30

0 0 5 10 15 D (mm) 20 25 30

Fig.8(a)RHCPgainasafunctionofthedistancedfromthecenterofthegroundplane.(b)Efficiencyasafunction of the length L. Legend: white dots: realized gain/radiation efficiency at center frequency; triangles: gain/radiation efficiencyat1576MHz;blackdots:realizedgain/totalefficiencyat1576MHz.
10 30

25

5 Axial ratio (dB) 0 5 10 15 D (mm) 20 25 30 Direcitvity (dB)

20

15

10

-5

0 0 5 10 15 D (mm) 20 25 30

Fig.9(a)Directivityand(b)axialratioat1576MHzafunctionofthedistancedfromthecenterofthegroundplane. Legend:whitedots:directivity/axialratioatcenterfrequencies;blackdots:directivity/axialratioat1576MHz.

Mounting
All patches are mounted using double sided adhesive tape. A suitable ground area has to be clearedonthedeviceboard.Thepingoesthroughtothebottomsideoftheboardwhereitis solderedtothefeedline.Fig.10describesthesuggestedlayoutforthefeedandgroundareas. ThegroundareashowninFig.10issuggestedfora18mmpatch.Ifapatchofdifferentsizeis considered,thegroundareadimensionsshouldbechangedtomatchthesizeofthepatch.

Fig.10Mountingfootprint.

How to estimate patch performance in a practical implementation

The previous sections provide a systematic analysis of the effect of different ground configurations on the performance of a ceramic patch. The most important question from a practical point of view is how to use the information contained in the previous sections to estimatethegain,axialratioandefficiencythatcanbeachievedinarealimplementationona nonidealgroundplane.

 Letsconsiderasimpleexampletoillustratehowtheplotsinthesectionsabovecanbeusedfor thispurpose.Letsassumethatapatchof18X18mmisselectedforaspecificGPSapplication. Thepatchistunedinaspecificfactorysetup,usuallya76mmX76mmground,toprovidepeak performanceat1575MHz. Inthespecificapplicationconsidered,however,thepatchismountedonalargegroundbut2 mmfromtheedgeFromFig.7(a)itcanbeestimatedthatthepatchgainwillbemaximumat about1550MHz.Thepeakgainat1550MHzisabout2.5dBic,asindicatedinFig8(a).ByFig. 8(b) and Fig. 9(b) it can also be concluded that efficiency and axial ratio are nominal at 1550 MHz,thusindicatinggoodpolarizationdiscriminationispreserved.Howeverat1575MHz,the desired operating frequency, the peak gain is only 2 dBic and polarization is completely compromisedasindicatedbythehighvalueoftheaxialratioinFig.9(b)(Blackdots). Ontheotherhandthepreviousanalysisshowsthatisthepatchwaspretunedtoprovidepeak performanceasinstalledontheactualdevice,theoverallgainat1575MHzcanbeimprovedof 4.5dB.Toaddresstheneedforpretunedsamples,Maxtenaofferstuningkits,describedinthe nextsection.

MaxtenaTuningKit
Fromapracticalpointofview,themostimportanteffectofvaryingthesizeofthegroundplane or the relative position of the patch on the ground is a shift in the resonant frequency. In general,theresultsdescribedintheprevioussectionsdemonstratethatthecloserthepatchis to the edge of the ground the lower is the resonant frequency. Proximity to the edge could eitherbeduetoareducedgroundsizeortoanoffsetoftheantennaposition.Thegeneraltrend is the same. The dramatic degradation in performance described in the previous section is mostly due to the fact that the antenna is optimized at the nominal tuning frequency, when installedona3X3inchesgroundplane.Ifthekeymetrics,suchasaxialratioandpeakRHCPgain are plotted at each of the effective resonant frequencies, resulting from the edge proximity effect,thedegradationinperformanceisnotassignificant.

 The results illustrated in figures 4(a) and 4(b) suggest that for a specific application best performances are achieved if the patch is tuned to resonate at the correct frequency when installed in the intended position and ground structure. Unfortunately, commercially available patches are tuned on a reference ground and there is no guarantee that they are going to resonateatthesamefrequencywhenembeddedinanactualdevice. To provide customers with an inexpensive, quick and effective way to determine the correct patchtuningfortheirspecificapplications,Maxtenaofferstuningkits. Eachtuningkitincludes10patches(seeFig.11)tunedatslightlydifferentfrequencies.Sincethe effect of dielectric loading and edge proximity produces a downward shift of the center frequency,thetuningkitscontainpatchestunedonthereferencegroundplaneatincrementally higherfrequencythanthenominalGPSL1centerfrequency. Thecustomercaninstalldifferentpatchesonthetargetdeviceanddeterminewhichvariation providesoptimalperformance.Atthemomentofplacingtheorderforproductionquantitiesthe customer can specify the desired nominal frequency determined with the tuning kit and Maxtenawilldeliverproductstunedaccordingly.

Fig.11Maxtenatuningkit