A hybrid finite element method for scattering and radiation by microstrip path antennas and arrays residing in a cavity

A hybrid numerical technique is presented for a characterization of the scattering and radiation properties of microstrip patch antennas and arrays residing in a cavity recessed in a ground plane. The technique combines the finite-element and boundary integral methods to formulate a system for the solution of the fields at the aperture and those inside the cavity via the biconjugate gradient method in conjunction with the fast Fourier transform (FFT). By virtue of the finite-element method, the proposed technique is applicable to patch antennas and arrays residing on or embedded in a layered dielectric substrate and is also capable of treating various feed configurations and impedance loads. Several numerical results are presented, demonstrating the validity, efficiency, and capability of the technique.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>