A new photonic bandgap cover for a patch antenna with a photonic bandgap substrate.

A new photonic bandgap (PBG) cover for a patch antenna with a photonic bandgap substrate is introduced. The plane wave expansion method and the FDTD method were used to calculate such an antenna system. Numerical results for the input return loss, radiation pattern, surface wave, and the directivity of the antennas are presented. A comparison between the conventional patch antenna and the new PBG antenna is given. It is shown that the new PBG cover is very efficient for improving the radiation directivity. The physical reasons for the improvement are also given.