Design and Analysis of a Hexagonal Patch Antenna with Integrated Metasurface for Satellite Applications
Abstract
In this paper, the design, simulation, and analysis of a novel hexagonal patch antenna operating at a frequency of 10.5 GHz are proposed. The hexagonal shape of the patch is chosen for its unique geometric properties, providing improved radiation characteristics and enhanced bandwidth. The proposed antenna leverages slot characteristics to improve performance and is implemented on a cost-effective FR4 substrate. Integrating slots in the hexagonal patch structure is explored to achieve enhanced impedance matching, gain, and radiation efficiency. A unit cell metasurface is introduced on the substrate, enhancing the antenna's capabilities. The proposed antenna is analyzed using HFSS 2020 R2 software. The antenna is operational with a return loss of -31dB at 10.5 GHz, and it offers a gain of 5.3 dB with an ECC of 0.03 and a diversity gain of 9.99. The size of the proposed antenna is 26 x 19 mm, which was fabricated and tested successfully. The distinctive combination of hexagonal geometry, slot characteristics, and the FR4 substrate presents a versatile and adaptable solution, making it suitable for satellite applications.
