A wide band and high gain 3-D printed patch antenna for X-band applications

Abstract This paper presents a novel 3D-printed microstrip patch antenna designed to enhance bandwidth and gain for X-band applications. The proposed antenna features an innovative open book shape (OBS) structure formed by two triangular prism-shaped substrates symmetrically positioned above a planar substrate. The 3-D structure of the antenna increases the substrate thickness to improve the gain and bandwidth. The substrate is fabricated by employing a 3-D printing technique. Later, a copper plate is pasted on the substrate to realise the radiating patch. The proposed antenna has dimensions of 33 × 30.4 mm 2 , achieves a gain of 10.7 dBi and a return loss bandwidth of 31 %, covering the 8.2 GHz–11.3 GHz frequency range. The proposed OBS antenna demonstrates significant performance enhancements compared to existing designs, establishing it as a high-performance solution for X-band applications.