In this project, a dual band microstrip patch antenna was designed for applications in wireless systems that operate on LTE band 4, also known as AWS, for data, voice, video and messaging services. LTE band4 has a bandwidth of 45 MHz for both the uplink and downlink bands. The uplink frequency spectrum is from 1.71 GHz to 1.755 GHz, while the downlink frequency spectrum is from 2.11 GHz to 2.155 GHz. The key goals of this
design were to realize an antenna that transmit any signal frequency that falls within the uplink band, and also receive any signal frequency that falls in the range of the downlink band. Also, the antenna had to exhibit a total radiation gain that is more than 6 dB and an efficiency of at least 80%. Meeting these key goals were the main challenge of this project, knowing that microstrip patch antennas inherently have a narrow bandwidth due to their high quality factor Q [1]. In addition, the final antenna design model had to have a simple geometry so it can be easily built, be small in size, and have a cheaper cost of manufacturing. The design was modelled, simulated, analysed and optimized using Ansoft High Frequency Structural Simulator, HFSS. The final design meets all the design goals mentioned above, and it is a 4.2 cm by 5.4 cm, nearly squared. It uses Rogers RT 5880 as the dielectric material in the substrate, between the patch and the ground plane. Dielectric thickness is 6 mm.
A copy of the entire paper can be accessed and downloaded from this link: LTE4_Paper-1
Embedded Design 