Radiation efficient unidirectional low-profile slot antenna elements for x-band application

Slots in metallic ground planes are very promising candidates for conformal antenna applications. However, a low-profile unidirectional antenna requires a back reflector close to the slot and the resulting stripline feed causes strong excitation of parallel-plate modes. In this contribution, we consider unidirectional reflector-backed slot configurations with parallel-plate mode suppression by shorting pins. Starting from a parametric study with respect to shorting pin location and back reflector distance, we present a stripline-fed rectangular slot element with radiation efficiency of more than 80% and a bandwidth of about 5% at centre frequency 10GHz. A careful optimisation of shorting pin locations guarantees reliable parallel-plate mode suppression without deteriorating the slot radiation behaviour. Coupling coefficients between parallel and aligned rectangular slot elements are presented. For increased bandwidth applications, a bow-tie slot element with about 8% bandwidth and radiation efficiency of close to 80% is proposed.