See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/234799696

A TEM horn antenna design and measurement

Article · January 1992

CITATIONS READS

4 1,447

5 authors, including:

Cheng-Hung Lin Guan-Yu Chen

29 PUBLICATIONS 95 CITATIONS
National Taipei University of Technology
76 PUBLICATIONS 251 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
SEE PROFILE

Jwo-Shiun Sun Kwong K Tiong

National Taipei University of Technology National Taiwan Ocean University
137 PUBLICATIONS 825 CITATIONS 256 PUBLICATIONS 3,418 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Kwong K Tiong on 27 May 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 12th WSEAS International Conference on COMMUNICATIONS, Heraklion, Greece, July 23-25, 2008

A TEM Horn Antenna Design and Measurement

Cheng-Hung Lin, Guan-Yu Chen, Jwo-Shiun Sun, Kwong-Kau Tiong ,and YD Chen
Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University
Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology
EMC and Antenna Laboratory, High Tech Computer Corp (HTC), Taiwan

Abstract: - The semi-rigid cable for radio frequency band as a feeding network
structure that effectively excited tapered triangle-shape TEM horn antenna geometry
is proposed. The semi-rigid cable to parallel waveguide transition then to feed
triangle-shape parallel plate transmission line as a TEM horn antenna. The designed
triangle-shape TEM horn antenna has the merits such as wideband, simple feeding
network, low profile compact size with fairly good antenna performances such as
return loss, peak gain and radiation patterns.

Key-Words: TEM Horn Antenna; Balun

1 Introduction beamwidth, wide-bandwidth low-scattering

The radiation mechanism of a transverse antenna [12] is presented. This antenna is a
electromagnetic (TEM) horn antenna is modified version of the conducting slotline
based on traveling wave propagation along bowtie hybrid antenna with resistive sheets
the tapered aperture slot, which results in an introduced into the guiding structure design.
end-fire antenna. TEM horn or tapered slot The analytical and design formula [13],
antenna (TSA) exhibits some advantages based on conformal mapping, for the
such as wideband, wide scanning, high gain, characteristic impedance of the transverse
low cross polarization and symmetrical E electromagnetic horn antenna. In this design,
and H plane radiation patterns [1] for an the semi-rigid cable with a tapered parallel
array or embedded circuits as antenna waveguide transition is shown good
radiating elements. Some articles for impedance matching and easy to integration
analyses of tapered slot antenna were and fabrication and the frame of the 3D
studied such as moment method [2], finite structure on triangle-shape TEM horn was
difference time domain method [3]. And the experimentally investigated. Measured
applications of TSA were proposed in dual results indicate that effects have significant
polarized antenna array [4], spatial power impacts on the return loss, input impedance,
combining [5] and waveguide transition [6]. radiation patterns and antenna gain of the
The general feeding structures in a TSA TEM horn antenna.
were mentioned with a coaxial cable, a
microstrip line or a coplanar waveguide 2 TEM Antenna Design
(CPW) [7-9]. A novel design method [10] The tapered parallel plate transmission line
for a TEM horn antenna is proposed on the (Fig. 1) to make tapered triangle-shape as
basis of parallel plate waveguide theory. TEM antenna radiator. The TEM horn
This triangle-shape TEM horn antenna has a antenna is a kind of traveling wave antenna
linearly tapered structure to increase the that wave propagating along the tapered slot
matching bandwidth. An exponentially for heading radiation. The antenna is a
tapered wideband TEM horn antenna [11] non-resonant low-Q radiator with input
having a balun is designed. The balun is impedance that remains essentially constant
used to improve the impedance over a wide frequency range. The TEM
characteristic of the TEM horn antenna. The antenna is well matched to space providing
designed antenna can be used not only for a smooth transition from the guided wave
EMC measurements, but also for broadband on the input transmission line to a free space
communication systems. A novel stable EM wave. The basic geometry of the

ISSN: 1790-5117 82 ISBN: 978-960-6766-84-8

 12th WSEAS International Conference on COMMUNICATIONS, Heraklion, Greece, July 23-25, 2008

designed TEM horn antenna is like a double Antennas Propagation, vol.42, pp.1161-1166,
tapered ridge as shown in Fig. 2. The Aug. 1994
transition provides wider balanced equal [3] E.Thiele and A. Taflove, “FD-TD
outputs, as well as a matching section for analysis of vivaldi flared horn antennas and
the traveling tapered slot of TEM horn array,” IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagat.,
antenna. The FEM software based on full vol.42, pp.633-641, May. 1994
wave frequency domain method [14] was [4] T.H. Chio and D.H. Schaubert,
adopted to perform the simulation of the “Parameter study and design of wide band
designed low profile TEM horn antenna. widescan dual polarized tapered slot
The triangle-shape TEM horn was antenna arrays,” IEEE Trans. Antennas
fabricated on the air substrate (dielectric Propagation, vol.48, pp.879-886, Jun. 2000
constant=1 and dielectric loss=0) and detail [5] N.S. Cheng, P.Jia, D.B. Rensch, and R.A.
size is shown in Fig. 3. The simple TEM York, “A 120-w x-band spatially combined
horn antenna structures exhibits broadband solid-state amplifier,” IEEE Trans.
and low profile compact structure for Microwave Theory Tech., vol.47,
applications. pp.2557-2561, Dec. 1999
[6] T.H. Lin and R.B. Wu, “CPW to
3 Results waveguide transition with tapered slotline
Fig. 3 shows the layout of the TEM horn probe,” IEEE Microwave and Wireless
antenna size and structure. The measured Components Lett., vol.11, pp.314-316, Jul.
data of the designed TEM horn antenna 2001
shows quite broadband. The measured [7] J.P. Kim and W.S. Park, “Network
return loss and input impedance of TEM analysis of inclined microstrip-slotline
horn antenna (Zin=Rin+jXin) shows good transitions,” IEE Proc.-Microw. Antennas
impedance matching based on the transition Propag., Vol. 147, pp.412-416, Oct. 2000
as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The radiation [8] R.N. Simons and R.Q. Lee, “New
characteristics of the TEM horn antenna techniques for exciting linearly tapered slot
based on the spherical coordinate is antennas with coplanar waveguide,” IEE
measured. The measured data of total Electronics Lett., Vol. 28, pp.620-621, Mar.
antenna gain of H-plane is shown in Fig. 6. 1992
[9] P. Knott and A. Bell, “Coaxially fed
tapered tapered slot antenna”, IEE
4 Conclusion Electronics Lett., Vol. 37, pp.1103-1104,
The designed TEM horn antenna fed by
Aug. 2001
tapered parallel waveguide and the
[10] K.H. Chung, S.H. Pyun, S.Y. Chung,
transition is presented. It exhibits the merits
and J.H. Choi, “Design of a wideband TEM
of geometric simplicity, wide bandwidth,
horn antenna”, IEEE Antennas and
lightweight, low cross polarization, and high
Propagation Society International
peak gain.
Symposium, pp. 229-232, June 2003
[11] K.H. Chung, S.H. Pyun, S.Y. Chung,
Acknowledgement and J.H. Choi, “The design of a wideband
The authors acknowledge the Antenna and TEM horn antenna with a microstrip-type
Wireless System Integration Department of balun”, IEEE Antennas and Propagation
High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC), Taiwan, Society International Symposium, pp.
for sport the wireless technique and 1899-1902, June 2004
measurement environment. (www.htc.com) [12] L. Chung, T. Chang, and W.D.
Bumside, “An ultrawide-bandwidth tapered
References: resistive TEM horn antenna”, IEEE
[1] K.F. Lee and W. Chen, “Advances in Transactions on Antennas and Propagation,
microstrip and printed antennas,” John Vol. 48, pp.1848-1857, Dec. 2000
Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1997 [13] R.T. Lee and G.S. Smith, “On the
[2] D.H. Schaubert, J.A. Aas, M.E. Cooley, Characteristic impedance of the TEM horn
and N.E. Buris, “Moment method analysis antenna”, IEEE Transactions on Antennas
of infinite stripline fed tapered slot antenna and Propagation, Vol. 52, pp.315-318, Jan.
arrays with a ground plane,” IEEE Trans. 2004

ISSN: 1790-5117 83 ISBN: 978-960-6766-84-8

 12th WSEAS International Conference on COMMUNICATIONS, Heraklion, Greece, July 23-25, 2008

[14] Ansoft User’s Guide, 2002 0

-5

-10

-15

Return Loss (dB)

-20

-25

-30 TEM Horn Antenna

-35

-40

-45

-50
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Frequency (GHz)

Fig.4 Measured data of return loss

Fig.1 Tapered parallel plate transmission
line 200

150

100

Input Impedance (Ohm)

50

-50
Resistance Reactance
-100

-150

-200
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Frequency (GHz)

Fig.2 Triangle-shape TEM horn antenna Fig.5 Measured data of input impedance

H-Plane

0
345 10 15
330 30
5
315 45
0
300 60
4GHz
-5
285 75
-10

270 -15 90 5GHz

255 105

6GHz
240 120

225 135
210 150
195 165
180

Fig.6 Measured data of gain pattern

Fig.3 Triangle-shape TEM horn antenna size

ISSN: 1790-5117 84 ISBN: 978-960-6766-84-8

View publication stats