A low profile dual-band dual-polarized patch antenna array with integrated feeding network for pico-base station applications

A low profile dual-band dual-polarized patch antenna array for pico-base station is presented in this article. The proposed antenna array uses a stacked configuration composed of three layers of substrates, with circular patches etched on the upper side of the upper substrate and quasi-cross-shaped slotted circular patches etched on the upper side of the middle substrate. A novel feeding network composed of two hybrid couplers and four power dividers is printed on the bottom side of the lower substrate. Simulated and measured results show that the proposed antenna array achieves a return loss lower than -14 dB over the dual-frequency band of 1.92-1.98 and 2.11-2.17 GHz. Moreover, stable radiation patterns with a peak gain of 10.7-11.7 dBi is obtained within the operating band. The proposed antenna array is easy to realize shaped beam and can be used for pico-base station antennas. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1594-1600, 2014