Size reduction of mushroom-type EBG surfaces by using edge-located vias

Periodic surfaces made of patches with metallized via holes or grounding pins (mushrooms) have been shown to have bandgaps in their dispersion diagrams, inside which surface waves cannot propagate. These bandgaps are defined in all directions in the surface structure. The purpose of this work is to show how by changing the position of the metallic via of the mushroom from its center to its edge, the bandgap moves towards lower frequencies. This allows an easy structure size reduction which is critical in many applications. Results prove a size reduction of the unit cell size by approximately 20% by only moving the via position. The conclusions have been validated with measurements.