Analysis and design of terahertz microstrip antenna based on photonic band gap substrate

Abstract

In a wireless communication system, a microstrip patch antenna is gaining importance as a most powerful technology trend and it is applicable for the development of minimal weight, low profile, low cost and high-performance antenna. However, the designed conventional patch antennas in terahertz encounter several drawbacks including narrow bandwidth, low gain due to high atmospheric path loss, low efficiency, and surface wave excitation. To overcome these drawbacks, microstrip patch antenna arrays based on photonic crystals are advantageous by providing extra performance. The main objective of this thesis is to develop and analyze array antennas operating in the terahertz band (0.1-10 THz) based on photonic crystal structures that satisfy the important requirements of high directivity, gain and radiation efficiency which will be candidates for use in high-speed communication, spectroscopy molecular, security imaging, sensing and medical diagnosis. To achieve this goal, commercial software such as Ansys HFSS and CST Microwave Studio will be used. Further, a variety of microstrip terahertz patch array antennas based on modified photonic band gap substrates are designed and analyzed. The radiation characteristics of the proposed antennas are compared to previously reported papers. Finally, a novel MIMO indoor communication system using a graphene-based 1 x 2 microstrip patch antenna array is developed and studied based on different substrates, including homogeneous, periodic photonic crystals and optimized photonic crystals substrates for terahertz communications channel capacity enhancement. The outcomes showed a remarkable enhancement compared with previously reported studies