Dense Dielectric Patch Antenna—A New Kind of Low-Profile Antenna Element for Wireless Communications

By replacing the metallic patch of a microstrip antenna with a high permittivity thin dielectric slab, a new type of patch antenna, designated as the dense dielectric patch antenna (DD patch antenna), is proposed. At lower microwave frequencies, it has similar performance as the conventional metallic circular microstrip antenna operated in the fundamental TM 11 mode. A prototype operated at 3.98 GHz exhibits an impedance bandwidth of 1% and a gain of 5.6 dBi. Due to the absence of the metallic patch, it is expected that this antenna has better radiation efficiency at millimeter wave and terahertz frequencies in comparison with the conventional microstrip patch antenna.