Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna — ANSYS HFSS R21
Design & Simulation Report
Following tutorial: [Link] (apply same workflow for rectangular patch)
Generated: 16-Sep-2025
Aim
Aim:
Design and simulate a rectangular microstrip patch antenna in ANSYS HFSS R21 for a target frequency of
10.2 GHz, analyze S11, VSWR, input impedance and radiation patterns.
Apparatus
Apparatus:
- ANSYS HFSS R21 (Driven Modal)
- FR4 substrate (εr = 4.4, tanδ ≈ 0.02)
- (Optional) PyAEDT for scripting the geometry
Project Variables & Computed Dimensions
Project variables (example values)
- f0 = 10.2 GHz
- epsr = 4.4
- tan_delta = 0.02
- h = 1.6 mm (substrate thickness)
- W_patch = 8.9435 mm (computed)
- L_patch = 6.2773 mm (computed)
- W_substrate = 3 * W_patch ≈ 26.8305 mm
- L_substrate = 3 * L_patch ≈ 18.8319 mm
- feed_width = 2.0 mm (starting value for a 50 Ω microstrip; adjust using LineCalc)
- feed_length = 6.0 mm (edge feed example)
- radiation_box_margin = 30 mm (around substrate)
Computed values (intermediate):
- Free-space wavelength λ0 = 29.3914 mm
- Effective permittivity ε_eff = 3.658328
- Length extension ∆L (each side) = 0.703005 mm
Procedure (HFSS R21 Step-by-step)
Procedure (step-by-step — HFSS R21):
1. New HFSS Design: Insert → HFSS Design (Driven Modal). Set units to mm.
2. Project Variables: Add the variables listed above (Project > Project Variables).
3. Create Substrate: Modeler → Create → Box. Position: (-W_sub/2, -L_sub/2, 0). Size: (W_sub, L_sub,
h).
Assign material: FR4_epoxy (set εr and tanδ via project ext materials if needed).
4. Ground Plane: Create a thin copper sheet under substrate (thickness ≈ 0.035 mm); assign PEC/copper.
5. Patch: Create a thin copper rectangle on top of substrate at z = h with dimensions W_patch × L_patch.
6. Feed: Create a microstrip feed rectangle (feed_width × feed_length) aligned to the patch center (edge
feed).
Option: Use inset feed by cutting a small slot into patch and placing feed into the slot.
7. Unite Patch and Feed: Modeler → Boolean → Unite (if they are same conductor).
8. Radiation Box: Create a larger box enclosing antenna; assign Radiation boundary to its outer faces.
9. Port: Assign Lumped Port (or Wave Port) at feed end; set reference impedance 50 Ω.
10. Setup: Analysis Setup → Add Solution Setup; set frequency to f0 (10.2 GHz). Create a frequency
sweep
(e.g., 8–12 GHz, 401 points or adaptive sweep around resonance).
11. Mesh: Use default adaptive mesh; refine near patch edges and feed for accuracy.
12. Run: Analyze All.
Reports to Generate
Reports & Plots to generate (Results menu):
- S11 (dB) vs Frequency (Rectangular Plot) — mark resonant frequency and -10 dB bandwidth.
- VSWR vs Frequency — confirm VSWR < 2 across desired band.
- Input impedance Z(1,1) (Real/Imag) vs Frequency.
- 3D Far-Field (Total Gain dBi) — 3D Polar/Rectangular plot.
- 2D Cuts (E-plane Phi=0° and H-plane Phi=90°) — plot Gain vs Theta, measure HPBW.
- Optionally export S-parameter data (CSV) and far-field data for external plotting.
Simulation Results (Placeholder Graphs)
S11 vs Frequency
VSWR vs Frequency
Input Impedance vs Frequency
3D Radiation Pattern
Radiation Pattern Cuts (E-plane, H-plane)
Expected Results
Expected Results (approximate):
- Resonant frequency near 10.2 GHz (depends on exact W/L and substrate accuracy).
- S11 dip ideally below -10 dB at resonance; deeper if matched carefully.
- VSWR < 2 around the operating band.
- Input impedance near 50 Ω (real part) at resonance after matching.
- Peak gain of a single rectangular patch: typically 6–9 dBi (depends on substrate and ground plane).
Tips & Troubleshooting
Tips & Troubleshooting:
- If S11 is poor, adjust feed location (move along patch length for edge feed) or change feed width.
- FR4 is lossy at 10 GHz — consider a low-loss substrate (RO4350B, Rogers) for better efficiency.
- Ensure radiation box is large enough (>= λ/4 from the structure) and radiation boundary is assigned.
- For repeatable results, use the same material definitions (εr, tanδ) as in calculations.
References & Files
References:
- HFSS tutorial video provided: [Link]
- Classical microstrip patch design formulas (Balanis, Pozar references) for W and L.
- PyAEDT patch script template (generated earlier): /mnt/data/rect_patch_hfss_r21_template.py
Computed numeric summary
W_patch = 8.9435 mm
L_patch = 6.2773 mm
Substrate thickness h = 1.6 mm
Effective permittivity ε_eff = 3.658328
∆L (each side) = 0.703005 mm
λ0 = 29.3914 mm
3D Gain Plot
S Parameter Plot
HFSS Model View