Performance Comparison between the FR4 Substrate and the Rogers Kappa-438 Substrate for Microstrip Patch Antennas

In this paper, theoretical modelling of the microstrip patch antenna parameters is presented. The modelling is backed by simulations and measurements results. The novelty lies in the comparison in performance between the new Rogers Kappa-438 substrate and the FR4 substrate, based on the dissipation factor, is made. Specifically, the novelty is in the comparison targeted at the electromagnetic energy harvesting patch antenna performance affected by the dissipation factor (loss tangent). Two circular microstrip patch antennas at the 1.8GHz cellular band were designed; one based on the FR4 substrate; the other based on the Kappa-438 substrate. The comparison is based on both simulations and measurements results. The performance metrics are overall size, return loss, radiation patterns and gain.