A Sinusoidal-Shaped 3-D Printed Wideband Microstrip Patch Antenna

Microstrip patch antennas are well-known for their low cost, compact profile, and ease of fabrication. However, their inherently narrow bandwidth remains a major drawback. In this work, we exploit the design flexibility offered by 3-D printing technology to develop a novel patch antenna featuring a sinusoidal-shaped vertical profile. By smoothly varying both the radiating patch profile and the thickness of its supporting thin substrate via a sinusoidal function, our design achieves enhanced impedance matching and an improved input bandwidth. Simulations at the center frequency of 2.3 GHz demonstrate that the proposed antenna achieves an impedance bandwidth of approximately 13%, over four times that of a conventional flat microstrip patch, typically around 3%. Moreover, the 3-D curved structure allows for a reduction in the projected resonant size, resulting in a compact footprint ideally suited for modern communication systems.