Circularly polarised proximity-fed microstrip antenna with polarisation switching ability

The authors propose a design of a circularly polarised proximity-fed microstrip antenna having polarisation switching ability. The proposed antenna has a simple structure, consisting of a truncated-comers square patch in the same plane with a microstrip feed line extended beyond the patch edge, pin diode and a pad connected to a ground by a conducting post. The diode, which is inserted between the end of the feed line and a pad, is used to control feed line termination. By turning the diode on or off, this antenna can radiate either right hand or left hand circular polarisation. Furthermore, we present a technique to improve the input characteristics of the antenna. It involves two diode-controlled tuning stubs connected in shunt with the feed line. Finally, a discussion on how the diode characteristics affect the structure and results of the antenna is given. All analyses are carried out using finite-difference time-domain technique and confirmed by measurements in the 5 GHz band. A good agreement between the simulated and measured results was obtained.