Development of a Cavity-Backed Broadband Circularly Polarized Slot/Strip Loop Antenna With a Simple Feeding Structure

A cavity-backed loop antenna is developed for producing broadband circularly polarized (CP) radiation. The antenna configuration consists of a slot loop and a strip loop. The slot loop radiates a CP wave at a lower frequency while the strip loop produces CP radiation at a higher frequency. A combination of the two frequencies leads to a bandwidth enhancement. The slot/strip loop antenna is fed by a single straight microstrip line. It is demonstrated that the cavity-backed slot/strip loop antenna can achieve an axial ratio (les 3 dB) bandwidth of 19% with good impedance matching. The antenna configuration is described and the operating principles for broadband circular polarization and impedance matching are analyzed. The antenna performance is confirmed by experimental results.