Introduction to ANSYS HFSS software and Design Methodology of Microstrip Patch Antenna.

Microwave Engineering Lab (BTEC-606)

Experiment No: 1

AIM: Introduction to ANSYS HFSS software and Design Methodology of Microstrip Patch Antenna.

SOFTWARE USED: ANSYS HFSS 15.0.3

THEORY:

HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) software: It is one of several commercial tools used for antenna design, and the design of complex RF electronic circuit elements including filters, transmission lines, and packaging. It was originally developed by Professor Zoltan Cendes and his students at Carnegie Mellon University. ANSYS was founded in 1970. By John A. Swanson as “Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc.” (SASI). In 1994, new owners took SASI's leading software, called ANSYS, as their flagship product and designated ANSYS, Inc. as the new company name. There is no proved explanation but we can say that ANSYS represents “Analysis System”. 

Microstrip Patch Antenna: A patch antenna (also known as a rectangular microstrip antenna) is a type of radio antenna with a low profile (small height and width), which can be mounted on a flat surface. It consists of a flat rectangular sheet or "patch" of metal, mounted over a larger sheet of metal called a ground plane. In telecommunication, a microstrip antenna (also known as a printed antenna) usually means an antenna fabricated using microstrip techniques on a printed circuit board (PCB). They are mostly used at microwave frequencies. An individual microstrip antenna consists of a patch of metal foil of various shapes (a patch antenna) on the surface of a PCB, with a metal foil ground plane on the other side of the board. Most microstrip antennas consist of multiple patches in a two-dimensional array. The antenna is usually connected to the transmitter or receiver through foil microstrip transmission lines. Microstrip antennas have become very popular in recent decades due to their thin planar profile which can be incorporated into the surfaces of consumer products, aircraft and missiles, their ease of fabrication using circuit techniques, the ease of integrating the antenna on the same board with the rest of the circuit, and the possibility of adding active devices such as microwave integrated circuits to the antenna itself to make active antennas.

PROCEDURE:

1.      Open the HFSS software window.

2.      Go to file and create new.

3.      Press “Insert HFSS design” option in upper left side of window.

4.      Draw Box randomly along the x-y-z axis.

5.      Fill the Box properties as per the given window and press Ok.

6.      double click on “CreateBox” under substrate and place the value as per the below screen:

7.      Again create Box and set the properties as per the following instruction:

8.      Go to CreateBox and set the properties as per the figure below:

9.      Create a box for feedline and set the properties as per the given below:

Name: feed_line

Position: 10.9375,0,0

Material: “pec”

Xsize: 2.46

Ysize 8

Z=0.05

Color: orange

10.  Create a box for patch which is connected with feedline

Name: patch

Position: 7.825,8,0

Xsize: 12.45

Ysize: 16

Zsize: 0.05

Color: Orange

11.  Press Ctrl and select patch and feedline and select unite button.

12.  Go to patch-assign Boundary-perfect E as per the below pic:

Name: PerfE_patch

Similarly: ground_plane-boundary condition-perfect E

Name: PerfE_ground

13.  Use airbox for radiation

14.  Copy substrate and paste it

15.  Press Esc to stop rotate and zoom

16.  Press E to select edges-go to modeler-edge-create object from edge

17.  Go to draw-sweep-along vector

18.  Just give it random value and hit OK

19.  Now some material have been come out from the feedline

20.  Go to patch object from edge 1 and fill accordingly:

21.  Press sweep along vector

22.  Vector: o,o,-h 31 mil

23.  The adding material has been vertical attached with feedline

24.