Gain and Bandwidth Enhancement of Tetracuspid-shaped DRA Mounted with Conical Horn

Abstract

Abstract A novel Tetracuspid-shaped dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) mounted with conical horn is presented and investigated for broadband applications. The dielectric used for investigation is a ceramic composite material having a dielectric constant ( $\varepsilon_r$) of 12.9. Tetracuspid-shaped resonator geometry achieves a broadband impedance bandwidth of 70.9 % for |S11|<‒10 dB, ranging from 2 GHz to 4.2 GHz. Tetracuspid-shaped reduces the DRA volume by 78 % (without horn) as compared to conventional cylindrical DRA; with reduced volume of 14.4 cm3 which diminishes the cost and weight. Gain of proposed antenna is further enhanced up to 9.5 dBi in operating band by mounting a conical horn. Achieved average peak gain is ~7 dBi. Proposed antenna covers bands of different wireless communication systems like Wi-Max and WLAN (2.4 GHz, 2.5 GHz, 3.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz). The simulated results are validated by experimentally measured outcomes and these are well in agreement.