Miniaturized Microstrip-Fed Tapered-Slot Antenna With Ultrawideband Performance

A method to design a microstrip-fed antipodal tapered-slot antenna, which has ultrawideband (UWB) performance and miniaturized dimensions, is presented. The proposed method modifies the antenna's structure to establish a direct connection between the microstrip feeder and the radiator. That modification, which removes the need to use any transitions and/or baluns in the feeding structure, is the first step in the proposed miniaturization. In the second step of miniaturization, the radiator and ground plane are corrugated to enable further reduction in the antenna's size without jeopardizing its performance. The simulated and measured results confirm the benefits of the adopted method in reducing the surface area of the antenna, while maintaining the ultrawideband performance.