EEL 5462 Antenna Theory (for Professionals)

CAD Assignment #2:

Strip Dipole Antenna Array

Note: Show all work in detail. Write neatly and in an organized manner if grading the problem
requires putting puzzle pieces together your score will be low.

*** To simplify the process of preparing a well-organized report, you are being provided with
the Word document. Those things that are underlined below require your input simply insert
the necessary information immediately following the underlined phrases. Add your last name
to the end of the file name of this document before you turn it in. ***

The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn how to simulate small antenna arrays in ADS
Momentum. You will use the same basic setup as described in the tutorial Dipole simulation using
ADS12 momentum with the following exceptions:
1. Your antenna elements will be assumed to lie on an air substrate. If you went through the
complete tutorial example, then you can save that workspace to a new name and change
the Rogers substrate (1.6 mm thick) to Air with a dielectric constant of 1.0
2. When you set up your ports, use the TML (zero length) calibration and not just TML. (TML
stands for transmission line. When you use the TML calibration Momentum will add a
section of transmission line to extend the ports away from the input of the device by
approximately a quarter-wavelengthif there is room to do this without crossing over
another structure! If the line extension will cross over another structure, Momentum reverts
to TML (zero length) but you have to watch carefully to see when Momentum does this.
Without going into details, TML is more accurate than TML (zero length) and if different
calibrations are used on two otherwise identical objects in a layout, the results for each
object will be different, e.g. they will have a different input impedance. When we set up
two dipoles in this assignment, only one of them is suitable for TML. So, to ensure that
both dipoles are treated the same and the expected symmetry is achieved, use TML (zero
length) for the ports on both dipoles. Sorrythats a long explanation.)

Part 1: Single Dipole

1. As in the tutorial referenced above, draw a 64 mm long by 4 mm wide dipole with the long
dimension along the x-axis. Attach the 4 mm x 4 mm rectangles which serve as the port
locations. Use a 1.6 mm-thick air substrate. Go to the EM setup and use the differential
ports with a TML (zero length) calibration. For the frequency sweep, use an adaptive sweep
from 0 5 GHz with 801 points. In addition, Add a simulation of the type Single and
1

EEL 5462 Antenna Theory (for Professionals)

2.
3.
4.
5.

specify the frequency as 1.1 GHz (this is the resonant frequency of the dipole in air, as you
will soon see).
Run the simulation and confirm an S11 minimum very near 1.1 GHz.
Go to EM Post Process Far Field. Compute the far fields.
When the Visualization window opens, click the Solution Setup tab near the bottom and
select the 1.1 GHz data point.
Click on the Plot Properties tab at the bottom of the Visualization window. Near the top of
the Plot Properties window, click on Far Fields (between Contour and Far Field Cut). Now
click on the Antenna Parameters button. Note the Directivity value and the Angle of U
Max (theta, phi).

Part 2: 2-Element Dipole Array with Quarter-Wavelength Spacing

1. Save the cell from Part 1 to a new cell. (Make sure to save the first cell before doing this.)
2. Click and drag a box around the dipole and the port. Now click Edit Advanced
Copy/Paste Copy Relative and place a copy of the dipole and the port that is a quarterwavelength (at 1.1 GHz) above the first dipole in the y-direction. Specify the offset in mm:
SEE TABLE
3. Go to EM setup and configure the port for the second dipole to be the same as the port on
the first dipole (i.e. a differential port). Make sure the calibration on the second port is also
TML (zero length).
4. Run the simulation. Record the frequency of the first S11 minimum.

931.9 MHz

5. Run EM Post-Processing Far Field. You should now have two ports for which you
can specify the excitation. Set both ports for 1 V at 0 degrees phase and Compute the far
fields.
6. When the Visualization window appears, repeat the process from above to find the
Directivity value and the Angle of U Max (theta, phi) at 1.1 GHz. SEE TABLE
7. What you have just simulated is a broadside array. Repeat step 5, however this time change
the excitation phase on Port 2 to produce an end-fire array along the positive y-direction.
Note that the axis of the array is the y-axis. Record the value of the Port 2 phase: Beta =
k*d = 90 degrees
8. When the Visualization window appears, repeat the process from above to find the
Directivity value and the Angle of U Max (theta, phi) at 1.1 GHz SEE TABLE

Part 3: 2-Element Dipole Array with Half-Wavelength Spacing

1. Save the 2-element cell to a new cell. Click and drag a box around the second dipole. Use
the Edit Move Move Relative command and shift the second dipole along the positive
y-axis by another quarter-wavelength, so the total separation is now a half-wavelength.
2. Repeat the steps above to simulate a broadside configuration and an end-fire configuration.

EEL 5462 Antenna Theory (for Professionals)

3. For the broadside configuration, note the Directivity value and the Angle of U Max (theta,
phi) at 1.1 GHz. SEE TABLE
4. For the end-fire configuration, note the Directivity value and the Angle of U Max (theta,
phi) at 1.1 GHz. SEE TABLE

Part 4: Summary

Fill in the following table (you should already have this information from above):
Spacing
/4
/4
/2
/2

Spacing
(mm)

Array Type

Port 2 Phase
(degrees)

Directivity
(dBi)

Umax
(theta,phi)

68.1

Broadside

68.1

End-Fire

90

5.2

(115,90)

136.3

Broadside

4.84

(110,90)

136.3

End-Fire

90

5.69

(159,90)

6.42

(104,90)

Consider the separation between the elements (in wavelength) and the phase excitation necessary
for the /4 and /2 arrays to achieve end-fire radiation. Explain why the /4 array has a maximum
along only one end-fire direction but the /2 array has a maximum along both end-fire directions.
Also, discuss how this difference impacts the directivity results.
The directivity is calculated when the array factor is multiplied by the single element E-field. I
visualize the normalized gain pattern of an isotropic antenna (perfect sphere of volume 1) and
when the element is changed to a dipole re-directs that gain pattern however the normalized
volume still equals 1. If more elements are added to create an array the gain pattern becomes more
focused in a desired direction but the total volume is still 1. The pattern can be altered by varying
the spacing between the elements and by varying the phase as shown in the array factor equation
.