Reduction of Mutual Coupling and Return Loss in Microstrip Array Antennas Using Concave Rectangular Patches

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An effective solution to reduce both the mutual coupling and return loss of a microstrip array antenna consisting of rectangular patches is proposed. The patch is made concave in both horizontal and vertical sides. Applying the proposed structure to a microstrip array antenna having two elements, the effects of patch concavity on the mutual coupling and return loss are simulated and studied. To obtain a concave rectangular patch array antenna having low amounts of mutual coupling and return loss, the patch length and width as well as the amounts of concavities are optimized using an enhanced genetic algorithm. To verify the simulation results, then, the optimal array antenna is fabricated. The simulation and experimental results confirm that the optimal concave rectangular array antenna has low amounts of mutual coupling and return loss.