On the Use of Characteristic Modes to Describe Paleh Antenna Performance'

* M mCabedo-Fabrks', Eva Antonio-Daviu', Miguel Ferrando-Bataller'

and

Alejandro Valera - N o g w i n '

'Universidad Pdit&niea de Valencia, Depanamento de Camunicaciones,
Valencia 46022, Spain, (mfcrrand,avalera)@d~~m.upv.es

1.

lntroduelian

Microstrip antennas are of increasing attrwtion far communication applications

due to its attractive features o f low profile, light weight, IOW
cost and easy
fabrication [I]. It is a well known fact that m i c m ~ t r i p
patch antennas etched on a
low dielectric canstanl matend and placed at a significant height over the ground
place provide broad band performance. Nevenheless, when microstrip patches are
mounted on thick substrates or even air, the cla~sifalheow of resonant Cavities
fails. In this cases, it i s possible to use other analysis methods, based on i n t e p l
equation formulations. Unfomnately. these formulations brio$ no physical insight
into the resonan~esoccurring in the patch.
This work introduces some preliminary rcsuIts focused to point out that the theory
of characteristic modes. formulated by Hanington and M a w [21, may help in the
design o f microstrip palch antennas, as it brings clear insight of the physical
phenomena taking place in it, and presents no limitation over the height of the
patch or the dielectric constant of the materials. This theory has drcady been
applied to analyze and optimize wire antennas in [l].
leading to encouraging

results. In contrast with the cavity model. current modes are used to characterize
the electromagnetic behavior o f the body. Characteristic modes are defined as the
real currents on the surface of a conducting body that depend on its shape and size,
and are independent o f the feed point. As characteristic modes form a close and
orthogonal set o f functions, they can be used to expand the total current. Another
advantage of this method, i s that for electrically small and intermediate size bodies,
only a few modes are needed. and the problem can be dealt with only by
considering twv or three modes.
ASSOCiatcd with each characteristic current there is a real characteristic value, or
eigenvalue, h,whose magnitude tells how well a particular mode radiates. Modes
with small h. are good radiaton, while those with large h, are poor radiators.

I I

I 1

Associated with each eigenvalue, a characteristic angle, (5, = 180-lan-'(An)

can be defined. Modes with characteristic angler close to 180, and hence clme to
resonance. are effective radiators, while those with angles near 900 and 270' are
ineffective radiators and they mainly tonlributc to the stored energy.
Characteristic modes and their associated eigenvalues are obtained from the
Symmetric gencralired impedance matrix of the stmeture. In this work, Galerkin
Method o f Moments formulation has been applied for computing the generalized
impedance malnx of patches suspended on air above a perfect ground plane.

'This work has bcen suppaned by Spanish Ministcrio de Ciencia y Tscnologia undci
pmyccls TIC 2000dS91-C03-02 and TIC 2001-2364-Col-02.

~ 1 - 7 x t 1 3 - 7 x ~ h - ~ ion
~ 302003
i ~ i 7 IEEE

712

2.

Chsrscteristie modes of a rectangular patch antenns

TO illu~tratethe effticiency of characteristic modes in planar antenna design, a

modal analysis of one of the most common microstrip patches is presented. First
we consider the parch without the ground plane far reference purposes. Fig.].
shows the current schematics of the first eight modes of a rectangular patch, 4cm
wide and 6cm long. Modes (a), (b) and ( c ) &e special modes that present current
distributions forming, one IOOQ,
in the case of (a) mode and two loops, in the case
of the venical and horizontal oriented (b) and (c) modes. Fig.2. represen6 the
variation with frequency of the characteristic angles associated to the current
modes of Fig.1 in free space. Each mode resonates when its characteristic angle is
180'. The nearer 180' the characteristic angle is over the frequency range, lhc
wider bandwidth presents the mode. The special nature of (a), (b) and (c) modes
can also be observed in Fig.2 as its characteristic angles go from 90" to 180". Fig.3
shows the real current dirvibution of the first eight modes of the same rectangular
patch at their particular resonant frequency. The special modes (a), (b) and ( e ) , do
not resonate in our frequency range, and their contribution to total radiation, if they
were excited, would be small. The main modes used in micro~trippatch design are
(d) and (e) modes. The characteriscia currenu of (d) and (e) modcs are horizontally
and venically oriented respectively, and if they were excited independently they
would present good polanzatian purity It is a well-known fact that when the patch
is placed over a ground plane 11sbandwidth performance worsens. Fig.5. and Fig.6
illu~trafethe eigenvalue variation with frequency and height, for (d) and (e) modes,
for the patch in Fig.4. The currcnf distribution of the modes obtained in this case
remains the same as in Fig.). The quotient plotted in Fig.5 and Fig.6, involves the
associated eigenvalue of the mode, and represents its normalized current amplitude.
As it was expected. when the height aver the plane increases the current amplitude
grows and the bandwidth performance improves.
Finally, the commercial software IE3D [4] has been used to excite the first
horizontal and venical modes of the patch in Fig.4 at h=O.lh, using a coaxial probe
and two different feeding configurations. When comparing the current distributions
in Fig.7 (a) and (b) with the current distributions of Fig.? (d) and (e) respectively, it
is observed that, the t ~ t a current
l
distribution of the patch is mainly due to the
horizontal or venical mode resonaiing at that frequency, and the analysis of the
patch could be performed just considering that mode without lose of accuracy.
To sum UP, the theory of chaiacteiistic modes is a valid alfemative to other classic
theories used in planar antenna design, as if is an efficient and accurate methad of
analysis. The thickness of the substrate is not a constraint for this method, so it is
possible to explore other typcs of excitation, span from the C I ~ S S~~oCa xBi aI probe
l
and inicrostrip line. Due 10 the onhagonality piopeny of the modes, the total
current of a planar structure can be easily express using few characteristic modes as
basis functions. Moreover, this theory c m be applied lo surfacer of arbitrary shape.
Rrrcrenccs

[ I ] K. Wong, "Compact and Broadband Microscrip Antennas", John Wdey & Sons, Inc..
N c r York. 2002.
[2j R . F. Hvninglon and J R. Maulz. "Theory of charactenstic modcs far conducting
bodicr."lEEE Trans. Anfenna~Propagat., vol. A P - l 9 . p ~ .622-628, Sept. 1971
[3I hl. Cabedo~Fnbres.A . Valero-Nogueirr, and M Ferrando-Bataller. 3yrlcmatic study
of clliplicvl loop rntcnnas using characterislie modes," 2002 IEEE AP-S lntcmafional
Symposium and USNCNRSI National Radio Scicncc Meeting. San Antonio. Texas, June

2002.
[4] IEID Version 9. Zcland Sofluarc, Inc., Fremant, CA, 2002

713

Fig.1. Current ichemntics oifhc first eight modes o i P rectsngular plate

(6cm x 4 em) in free sppaco.

II

lo

Frequency (GHz)

Fig.2. Characteristic angle versus

frequency ofthe first

a rectangular piate (6em 4"
inrrDe

(6) 5.6 GHz

(h)

right moder of

io CHI

Fig.3. Current distribution afthe first eight modes ora rectangular

plate (6cm x rem) in rice rpaee at reranant irequcnry.

714

Fig.4. Rectangular patch SIB height h over an infinilr p e r k t ground plane

Frequency (GHr)
F i g 5 Normalized c ~ r r e o amplitude
t
variation o l t h r first horizontal current mode.
of the recmngulnr patrhin Fig.4 placed at dimerent heights over an infinite perkel

ground plane. iorb.w;sz=llcm.

0 75

'7
-.

050

om

Frequency (GHz)

Fig.6. Normalircd currcnl amplitude VPiiPIion 01the first vertical curlen1 mode,
olfhc rectangul2r patch in Fig.4. placed SIdirlerent htighls over an infinilc perlcct
ground plane lor AnrcHz=8cm.

(b)

(a)

Fig.,. Total currrnl ola rectangular patch antenna (6cmr4c.m) at O.lh over 8 PEC
ground plane l o r two dillerent leeding locations: (a) For excitation or horizontal
curr~nlsat 1.1 CHI (b) For ~xcitslion01vorfied ~ u r r m tat
i 3CHz.

715