PCB Antenna and Fabrication

PCB antennas, Gerber file writer and reader, RF connectors, manufacturing services

Use Antenna Toolbox™ to design custom PCB antennas for practical designs such as cell phones, RFID, and IoT applications. Prototype and implement simulated PCB antennas by specifying the RF connector suitable for your application and customizing the PCB manufacturing services.

Combine geometrical shapes and mathematical operations to create unique antenna geometries that meet for your antenna specifications. For example, you can use these objects and functions in pcbStack, to create single or multilayered PCB-based antenna designs.

Objects

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PCB

`pcbStack`	Single-feed or multifeed PCB antenna
`PCBReader`	Import and update Gerber files
`PCBWriter`	Create PCB board definitions from 2-D antenna designs
`PCBConnectors`	RF connector at antenna feedpoint
`PCBServices`	Customize PCB file generation for PCB manufacturing service

Geometrical Shapes

`antenna.Circle`	Create circle centered at origin on X-Y plane
`antenna.Ellipse`	Create ellipse centered at origin on X-Y plane
`antenna.Polygon`	Create polygon on X-Y plane
`antenna.Rectangle`	Create rectangle centered at origin on X-Y plane

Functions

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Fabrication

`gerberWrite`	Generate Gerber files
`gerberRead`	Create `PCBReader` object with specified Gerber and drill files
`layout`	Display array or PCB stack layout

Shape Operators

`add`	Boolean unite operation on two shapes
`subtract`	Boolean subtraction operation on two shapes
`plus`	Shape1 + Shape2
`minus`	Shape1 - Shape2
`intersect`	Boolean intersection operation on two shapes
`and`	Shape1 & Shape2
`area`	Calculate area of shape in square meters

Shape Visualization

`show`	Display antenna or array structure; display shape as filled patch
`mesh`	Mesh properties of metal or dielectric antenna or array structure
`plot`	Plot boundary of shape

Shape Manipulation

`scale`	Change the size of the shape by a fixed amount
`translate`	Move shape to new location
`rotate`	Rotate shape about axis and angle
`rotateX`	Rotate shape about X-axis and angle
`rotateY`	Rotate shape about Y-axis and angle
`rotateZ`	Rotate shape about Z-axis and angle
`shapes`	Extract and modify metal layers from `PCBReader` object

Featured Examples

Create Antenna Model from Gerber Files

Create an antenna model from Gerber files and and subsequently analyze the antenna. The Gerber file format is used in printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing and is available in two formats: RS-274D, which was the initial release standard, and RS-274X, which is the newer extended Gerber format. The Antenna Toolbox™ supports the newer RS-274X format both to generate Gerber files from an antenna model as well as to create an antenna model from a set of Gerber files.

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Design, Analysis and Prototyping of a Microstrip-Fed Wide Slot Antenna

Builds a model of a microstrip-fed printed wide slot antenna on FR4, analyzes it and finally enables prototyping by generating Gerber files. The design is intended for operation in the L-band and has a bandwidth of about 17% over the band 1.6 - 1.8 GHz.

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Modeling and Analysis of a Probe-Fed Stacked Patch Antenna

The steps to model and analyze a probe-fed stacked patch antenna. The standard rectangular microstrip patch antenna has a narrow impedance bandwidth typically lesser than 5%. The stacked patch configuration is one of the ways of increasing the impedance bandwidth of these antennas to be greater than 25% [1]. There are different ways of designing stacked patches, primarily differing in the way their feed is designed [2]. The two types of feeding mechanisms are probe-feed and aperture coupled. These two mechanisms have a role in the impedance bandwidth behavior as well as the radiation characteristics of the antenna.

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Model and Analyze Dual Polarized PatchMicrostrip Antenna

Design and measure a wideband dual polarized microstrip antenna that finds its use at the base station of a cellular system. In order to achieve the wideband characteristic, this design considers a slot coupled patch antenna structure.

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Modeling and Analysis of Single Layer Multi-band U-Slot Patch Antenna

The standard rectangular microstrip patch is a narrowband antenna and provides 6-8 dBi Gain with linear polarization. This example based on the work done in [1],[2], models a broadband patch antenna using a slot in the radiator and develops a dual-band and a tri-band variation from it. In the process, the single wide response has been split into multiple narrow band regions catering to specific bands in the WiMAX standard. These patch antennas have been probe-fed.

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Design an Internally Matched Ultra-wideband Vivaldi Antenna

Will model and analyze a vivaldi antenna with an internal matching circuit. The vivaldi is also known as an exponentially tapered slot antenna. The antenna possesses wideband characteristics, low cross polarization and a highly directive pattern. The design will be implemented on a single layer dielectric substrate with 2 layers of metal; one for a flared slot line, and the feed line with the matching circuit on the other layer. The substrate is chosen as a low cost FR4 material of thickness 0.8 mm. The design is intended for operation over the frequency band 3.1 - 10.6 GHz [1].

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