HTS microstrip bipin antenna array for broadband satellite communication

In this paper we report the broadband antenna array made of high-T_c superconducting (HTS) thin films. Though HTS antennas have high efficiency and high gain, narrow bandwidth due to the high Q is the major limitation for application of satellite communication and mobile communication. Defining bandwidth as the frequency range over which standing wave ratio (SWR) is 2:1 or less, HTS antenna bandwidths are typically less than 1%. Thus considerable effort has been focused on developing HTS antennas for broadband operation. In this work the HTS antenna array, using the bipin antenna which consisted of two triangle-radiation patches, was designed and fabricated using a YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x (YBCO) superconducting thin film on a MgO substrate for broadband operation. Also gold antennas with the same dimension as our HTS antennas were fabricated on the MgO substrate for the comparison. Experimental results for our HTS antenna array and gold counterparts were reported in terms of radiation patterns, return losses, bandwidths and other various characteristics. The center frequency of our HTS antennas was 20.28 GHz and the bandwidth obtained was significant 10%.