Broadband RCS reduction of rectangular patch by using distributed loading

A scheme is presented for reducing the RCS of patch antennas outside their operational band without compromising gain performance. This is achieved by placing a narrow resistive strip (distributed loading) around the periphery of the patch which has minimal effect at the operational frequency of the patch. Results are presented using a finite element-boundary integral code demonstrating the effectiveness of this scheme over the traditional method of using lumped loads.