Radar Cross Section(RCS) Reduction of Microstrip Patch Antenna using Meander Structures

In this paper, the design, simulation and fabrication of radar cross section (RCS) reduction of microstrip patch antenna based on metasurface is presented. Initially a meander structure is designed on a metasurface. The metasurface based meander structure unit cell and its 45° rotated structure produces reflected waves with the same amplitude and an opposite phase, that cancel each other to minimize the backward scattering. The two meander structure unit cells are designed to produce (180±30)° reflection phase difference over a frequency range of 4.5-6.5GHz printed on FR4 substrate. A checkerboard pattern is formed using a metasurface based meander structure unit cell and its 45° rotated structure. The microstrip patch antenna is placed at the center of the checkerboard pattern for RCS reduction. Simulation and experimental analysis are performed to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed structure. A comparison of performance of antenna with and without the meander structure shows that the proposed design offers a reduction of RCS by 12.6 dB at its operating frequency of 5.5GHz with better gain, and directivity. This desion is useful for low RCS antenna annlications.