Analysis And Design Of Metamaterial Antenna Array

In recent years, more and more applications of microstrip antenna array are developed. The goal of this thesis is to improve the performance of antenna arrays with novel metamaterial concepts and propose new ideas on metamaterial applications.The research methods in this thesis is summarizing the researches of predecessors and then designing metamaterial antenna arrays basing on them. The researches of predecessors we summarized include analysis and design of composite right/left handed transmission line, the realization of this theory using inductance-capacitance circuits model and extraction of parameters in this transmission line structure. They also include two types of series-fed metamaterial antenna array, a planar metamaterial antenna array,basing on the research of predecessors. To apply metamaterial concepts to microstrip antenna arrays, we summarized theory and examples of traditional microstrip antenna arrays.We analyzed and designed there types of metamaterial antenna arrays. Based on the summarization, we designed novel metamaterial arrays, including two types of series-fed metamaterial antenna arrays and a metamaterial planar array. Comparing to traditional microstrip antenna arrays, metamaterial antenna arrays have significantly broadened the bandwidth and improved the radiation pattern. Metamaterial antenna arrays also derive some of the advantages of its elements, like high efficiency and low loss. The radiation direction of these antennas and arrays are on the front, which is the same direction of microwave propagating in the feeding line. The antennas and arrays all have linear polarization. These arrays have been designed, simulated, fabricated and measured. The simulated results and measured results agreed well. Then we discussed off-centered feeding line were significant to metamaterial array design and gave an illustration.Then we can draw a conclusion that applying metamaterial concepts to array design can improve performances of antennas, especially on broadening bandwidth,increasing gains and increasing efficiency, and can change radiating direction to the front direction. We gave new ideas on metamaterial application on antenna arrays, and some new designs. These metamaterial arrays are significant to research both on antenna and metamaterials.