Performance of millimeter-wave coplanar patch antennas on low-k materials

In this article, the simulation and experimental results of millimeter-wave Coplanar Patch Antennas (CPAs) using spin-on low-k dielectric substrate are presented. The antennas are designed for the direct integration of millimeter-wave / optical devices of coplanar waveguide (CPW) output terminals. Benzocyclobutene (BCB) with dielectric constant 2.7 is selected as the low-k dielectric substrate of the antennas. The measured resonant frequency and impedance bandwidth (S11 < -10dB) are 38.3GHz and 2.6% respectively. The maximum gain of the antenna is 4.2 dBi at 38.7GHz. Stable radiation patterns across the pass band are achieved. Good agreement between the simulation and measurement has been obtained.