ERI: Addressing the Challenges in Microstrip Antenna Design using Surface Current Optimization

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。在现代无线通信系统中，从创建高分辨率图像到快速下载数据，对具有宽带和定向增益的天线的需求很大。此外，这种天线对于汽车应用和国防应用也是有吸引力的，其中高增益和大带宽是跟踪物体或车辆的基本参数。微带天线具有重量轻、成本低、易于集成等优点，是此类应用的潜在候选者。然而，它们的窄阻抗带宽和低增益是阻碍它们取代传统的大体积天线，如喇叭等的关键问题，微带天线设计的另一个挑战是，它们是计算量大，需要许多优化/运行。这项研究不仅将推进微带天线的研究，而且还将作为TCNJ（新泽西学院）天线研究的种子或试点项目，可以激发未来的多学科项目和合作。由于该项目下的天线开发涵盖了从生物医学到国防和通信的许多行业，这将是激发学生（特别是少数民族和女性）对STEM教育的兴趣并提高他们对物理科学和数学概念的理解的完美工具。该项目将支持PI的努力，雇用更多的本科生在新开发的实验室，并给他们暴露和实践经验，在天线的设计和开发。该项目旨在开发创新的设计解决方案，以解决计算成本和微带天线的最佳设计的权衡之间的当前技术和未来的需求。该方案将为基于表面电流优化的天线提供最优设计方案。这些设计解决方案将是简洁的，计算成本较低，简单明了。在这个项目中，微带天线的某些关键参数将使用表面电流进行优化或控制。本研究的重点将放在以下三个关键的设计参数（i）带宽（ii）增益/辐射特性（iii）天线的尺寸。表面电流的分析和优化使天线结构易于理解和理解，因为它给出了对天线结构的物理洞察。因此，天线的分析和优化设计可能不需要许多优化周期。该项目的成功完成将改善和简化天线设计人员的设计程序。从长远来看，预期的技术将开发更有用和简洁的程序，设计最佳的，低成本的，小型化的antenns.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). In modern wireless communications systems, antennas with wide-band and directed gain are in great demand, from creating a high-resolution image to downloading data with fast speed. Moreover, such antennas are attractive to automotive applications and defense applications as well, where high gain and large bandwidth are essential parameters to track objects or vehicles. Microstrip antennas are potential candidates for such applications because they are light weight, low cost and easy to integrate. However, their narrow impedance bandwidth and low gain are the critical issues that hinder them from replacing conventional bulky antennas such as horns, etc. Another challenge in microstrip antenna design is that they are computationally extensive and need many optimizations/runs. This research will not only advance the research of microstrip antennas but also act as a seed or pilot project for antenna research at TCNJ (The College of New Jersey) that can excite future multidisciplinary projects and collaborations. As antenna development under this project encompasses many industries from biomedical to defense and communications, it would be a perfect vehicle to excite students’ interest (particularly minority and women) in STEM education and improve their understanding of physical science and mathematical concepts. The project will support PI’s efforts to hire more undergraduate students in the newly developed lab and give them exposure and hands-on experience in antenna design and development.This project aims to develop innovative design solutions to address the computation cost and optimum design’s tradeoff between the microstrip antenna’s current technologies and future needs. This proposal will provide the optimal design solutions for antennas using surface current optimization. These design solutions will be concise, less computationally expensive, and straightforward. In this project, certain critical parameters of the microstrip antenna will be optimized or controlled using surface currents. The focus of this research will be on the following three critical design parameters (i) bandwidth (ii) gain/ radiation characteristics (iii) size of antennas. The analysis and optimization of surface currents make antenna structure easy to understand and comprehend because it gives physical insight into the antenna’s structure. As a result, the analysis and optimal design of the antenna may not need many optimization cycles. Successful completion of the project will improve and simplify design procedures for antenna designers. In the long run, the anticipated technology will develop more useful and concise procedures for designing optimum, low-cost, miniaturized antennas.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.