Theoretical investigation on the use of high permittivity materials in microstrip aperture stacked patch antennas

The effects of altering the parameters of the feed substrate on the characteristics of a microstrip line fed aperture stacked patch antenna are investigated, in order to determine their suitability for integration into monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs). It is shown that an increase in the permittivity and/or a decrease in the thickness of the feed substrate reduces the maximum achievable bandwidth of the antenna. However, a bandwidth in excess of 27% and a peak gain of approximately 8 dBi are still achievable using a thickness and permittivity that replicates an OEIC/MMIC wafer.