Microstrip antenna

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In telecommunication, There are several types of microstrip antennas (also known as a printed antennas) the most common of which is the microstrip patch antenna or patch antenna. A patch antenna is a narrowband, wide-beam antenna fabricated by etching the antenna element pattern in metal trace bonded to an insulating substrate. Because such antennas have a very low profile, are mechanically rugged and can be conformable, they are often mounted on the exterior of aircraft and spacecraft, or are incorporated into mobile radio communications devices.

Microstrip antennas are also relatively inexpensive to manufacture and design because of the simple 2-dimensional physical geometry. They are usually employed at UHF and higher frequencies because the size of the antenna is directly tied to the wavelength at the resonant frequency.

An advantage inherent to patch antennas is the ability to have polarization diversity. Patch antennas can easily be designed to have Vertical, Horizontal, Right Hand Circular (RHCP) or Left Hand Circular (LHCP) Polarizations with a single antenna feedpoint. This unique property allows patch antennas to be used in many areas types of communications links that may have varied requirements.