A Novel Integrated Yagi–Uda and Dielectric Rod Antenna With Low Sidelobe Level

A novel antenna integrated the advantages of the Yagi–Uda and the dielectric rod antenna (DRA) is presented in this communication. The antenna mainly consists of a tapered printed Yagi–Uda, a tapered dielectric cover, and a periodic dielectric rod. First, a tapered printed Yagi is designed as the primary feeder and embedded inside a tapered dielectric rod to improve the directive gain, radiation efficiency, and sidelobe levels. The influence of the dielectric cover to the Yagi is discussed. Then, a dielectric rod with triangular periodic surface is also loaded to the end of the dielectric cover to obtain higher gain and better front-to-back ratio. Finally, a sample of the antenna working at 8.5–9.7 GHz with 18 dBi maximum gain and −23.37 dB sidelobe level is designed. A prototype is fabricated and tested; the measured results match well with the simulated. Compared with the traditional Yagi–Uda antenna and DRA with the same length, the presented integrated antenna has higher gain with lower sidelobe level.