ABSTRACT

A low-cost and light-weight ultra-wideband bowtie antenna for radar applications was simulated, fabricated and tested. A concise and easy to follow step-by-step description of the performed bowtie antenna simulation in Ansys HFSS software is presented. Optimized antenna parameters were utilized to fabricate the antenna. Fabrication was achieved by utilizing an FR4 PCB. The prototype was tested using a spectrum analyzer. The fabricated bowtie antenna results were used to validate the simulation results. The results obtained from the simulation platform were in close agreement to those of the prototype antenna. Results on effect of substrate thickness and frequency on S11 are also presented. The prototype produced improved overall S11 as compared to the simulation. The results indicate that the fabricated antenna satisfies bandwidth requirements for the UHF, L and S bands.

Keywords: - Antenna design; antenna fabrication; bowtie antenna; FR4 substrate; return loss