Strip, slot, air, inverted patch (SSAIP): A cavity-backed alternative to broadband communication antennas

In this paper, a new cavity-backed antenna configuration, called strip, slo t, air, inverted patch (SSAIP) is proposed. The SSAIP is the cavity-backed version of the standard strip, slot, foam, inverted patch (SSFIP) antenna c oncept, and this paper compares the electrical performances of both types o f antennas. Results reveal that similar to their SSFIP counterparts, SSAIP antennas also exhibit large frequency bandwidth but now combined with clean and versatile radiation patterns and can thus be used in broadband communi cation applications. The analysis of these antennas is carried out with a s pecific integral equation formulation, described in the paper. To facilitat e the physical understanding of the new structure, an equivalent filter mod el of the real SSAIP antenna is also derived. This equivalent model allows standard filter design techniques to be used for an easy electrical design of the antenna. In addition to theoretical results, experimental results ar e also presented showing good agreement between numerical predictions and m easurements.