Improved design of the Vivaldi antenna

The Vivaldi antenna and its feeding transition is investigated. A tapered transition from microstrip to symmetric double sided slot line, fabricated on a low dielectric constant substrate, exhibits a very wide operating frequency range, with no need for a shorting hole. The parameters of the antenna which influence the constancy of beamwidth with frequency are discussed, and the ability to determine the required beamwidth by controlling the antenna length is shown.