Improvement of microstrip patch antenna radiation patterns

Microstrip patch antennas typically have radiation patterns containing unwanted sidelobes or local minima caused by surface waves, especially when fabricated on high dielectric-constant substrates. The paper shows that removal of the substrate beneath the patch can greatly improve the pattern. A variation of this technique, compatible with monolithic fabrication, is applied to fabrication of a patch on GaAs and shows similar pattern improvement.>