Introduction

Front. Phys.

Frontiers in Physics

Front. Phys.

2296-424X

Frontiers Media S.A.

1768836

10.3389/fphy.2026.1768836

Original Research

Low-profile miniaturized dielectric resonator array antenna design for frequency division duplex based on sequential rotation method

Sani et al.

10.3389/fphy.2026.1768836

Sani

Mohd Aliff Afira

¹ Conceptualization Methodology Project administration Software Investigation Resources Formal Analysis Visualization Writing - original draft Writing - review and editing Data curation Sani

Nor Samsiah

² Methodology Writing - review and editing Investigation Supervision Writing - original draft Data curation Resources Conceptualization Project administration Visualization Prauzek

Michal

³ Project administration Formal Analysis Supervision Writing - original draft Methodology Visualization Conceptualization Investigation Writing - review and editing Validation Software Konecny

Jaromir

³ Software Writing - original draft Supervision Formal Analysis Writing - review and editing Conceptualization Methodology Data curation Project administration Resources Validation Tran-Huy

Hung

⁴ * Formal Analysis Visualization Project administration Validation Data curation Resources Funding acquisition Supervision Methodology Software Writing - review and editing Conceptualization Investigation Writing - original draft Hoang-Thu

Trang

⁴ Visualization Methodology Conceptualization Validation Writing - original draft Formal Analysis Supervision Writing - review and editing Data curation Software Qaddara

Iyas

⁵ Writing - original draft Data curation Investigation Methodology Conceptualization Writing - review and editing Software Resources Validation Formal Analysis Mohamed

Heba G.

⁶ Resources Writing - review and editing Conceptualization Writing - original draft Project administration Validation Formal Analysis Supervision Software Data curation Visualization Andriukaitis

Darius

⁷ * Conceptualization Writing - review and editing Methodology Supervision Formal Analysis Investigation Visualization Resources Writing - original draft Project administration

1 Quality Engineering Research Cluster (QEREC), Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Institute of Industrial Technology, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2 Center for Artificial Intelligence Technology, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan, Kajang, Malaysia 3 Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia 4 Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, PHENIKAA School of Engineering, PHENIKAA University, Hanoi, Vietnam 5 Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Information Technology, Al-Ahliya Amman University, Amman, Jordan 6 Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 7 Department of Electronics Engineering, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania

*Correspondence: Hung Tran-Huy, hung.tran.huy@phenikaa-uni.edu.vn; Darius Andriukaitis, darius.andrikaitis@ktu.lt

25 02 2026

2026

1768836

16 12 2025 09 01 2026 16 01 2026

2026

Sani, Sani, Prauzek, Konecny, Tran-Huy, Hoang-Thu, Qaddara, Mohamed and Andriukaitis

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Introduction

The antenna must adhere to more stringent requirements, including multi-band operation, high performance, and compact design, since it is the primary component of satellite communication systems. A shared-aperture antenna based on structural reuse is a viable method for attaining multi-band functionality of satellite communication systems and improving platform space usage. The development of multi-function antennas, antenna size reduction for shrinking, and cost reduction are all greatly impacted by shared-aperture technology. Because of the significance of L-band applications, the development of circularly polarized (CP) antennas has grown in importance. Because of their compensations, which include lower multipath losses and polarization mismatch, CP antennas are essential for many wireless applications, such as GNSS, satellite communication, and indoor wireless systems.

Methods

This paper proposes a novel dielectric resonator array antenna. The shared-aperture feature is established by merging the dielectric high-frequency resonators in the annular dielectric low-frequency resonators. By controlling the phase difference between the degenerate modes, the low and high frequency orthogonal circularly polarized waves are created. The impedance matching is improved by optimizing the thickness of the circular cylindrical dielectric resonator. The sequential rotation method is used to design the array antenna.

Results and Discussion

Simulation results show that the proposed dielectric resonator array antenna has superior performance and improved polarization characteristics as compared with existing methods.

airborne antenna array antenna beamforming circular polarization dielectric resonator antenna dual-band waveguide metamaterial

The author(s) declared that financial support was received for this work and/or its publication. Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2026R140), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The authors would like to express their deepest gratitude to Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) for the invaluable support toward the completion and publication of this paper. This article has been produced with the financial support of the European Union under the REFRESH – Research Excellence For REgion Sustainability and High-tech Industries project number CZ.10.03.01/00/22_ 003/0000048 via the Operational Programme Just Transition.

section-at-acceptance

Optics and Photonics

1 Introduction

With the integration and development of mobile and satellite communications, the sixth generation (6G) of mobile communication systems will integrate ground networks and non-ground networks to build an integrated air-ground-space system [1]. Antennas are essential to the operation of communication systems since they are one of the main parts that link wireless channels and hardware communication devices. Excellent dual-frequency dual-circular polarization functions—that is, the ability to send and receive orthogonal circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in the uplink and downlink frequency bands—are necessary for ground terminal antennas to meet the demands of satellite Internet for high-speed duplex communication. In traditional satellite antenna technology, the transmitting array and the receiving array are independent of each other, resulting in the problem of large physical size of the antenna feed system. The design of a miniaturized co-aperture dual-frequency dual-circular polarization antenna is one of the important basic technologies for the rapid commercialization of non-ground networks in the future.

Based on the traditional microstrip patch antenna technology, a large number of circularly polarized antenna design methods have been developed. Dual-frequency dual circular polarization can be achieved by adding perturbations to the patch and using improved coupling slots [2–5]. Similar functions can also be achieved by connecting patches of different frequencies and different circular polarization types [6–8]. Reference [8] designed a dipole antenna using two sets of short-circuited patches of different sizes, which can be used in frequency division duplex communication systems. Although patch antennas have the advantage of low profile, their bandwidth is limited and the horizontal aperture is usually too large.

Compared with metal structure patch antennas and reflector antennas, dielectric resonator antennas (DRA) have the advantages of diverse shapes, flexible design, low loss and high efficiency [9, 10]. Reference [11] proposed a broadband low-profile DRA with small planar size, and further expanded its application in the design of circularly polarized antennas. Reference [12] designed a decorative DRA for video surveillance systems. Simultaneously, dual-frequency dual circularly polarized antennas can be designed using the multi-mode properties of DRA. By loading parasitic units on DRA [13] or by employing a unique dielectric resonator (DR) and a unique feeding structure [14, 15], dual-frequency dual circular polarization can be accomplished in DRA. Reference [16] uses a patch, a substrate integrated cavity and two resonators to form an antenna that can transmit and receive. Reference [17] proposed a shared aperture merging structure technology based on DRA and slot dipole antenna to realize a dual-frequency dual circular polarization antenna.

A co-aperture, dual-frequency, dual-circularly polarized antenna (DRA) appropriate for satellite communication terminals is proposed in this study. The main contributions are as follows.

A nested design of annular and cylindrical DRs achieves a co-aperture structure for low- and high-frequency radiators.

Metal strip probes of unequal heights are used to excite high-order circular polarization in the high- and low-frequency DRAs.

By optimizing the low-frequency radiator structure, high- and low-frequency electromagnetic mutual coupling is reduced, improving the antenna’s operating bandwidth and radiation performance.

A sequential rotation array method is used to construct a 2 × 2 dual-frequency, dual-circularly polarized antenna array.

A prototype was fabricated and tested using ceramic and printed circuit board (PCB) technology. Measurement results demonstrate the antenna’s compactness and dual-frequency capabilities, making it suitable for future satellite communication ground terminals.

The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, the unit structure of the antenna is discussed, the optimization process and geometrical design analysis is explained. In Section 3, the antenna unit performance is evaluated through simulations and measurements. In Section 4, antenna array design is presented. In Section 5, the array antenna performance is evaluated using simulations and experimental setup. In Section 6, the conclusions are presented.

2 Antenna design 2.1 Unit structure

Two DRs with differing dielectric constants and a single-layer PCB make up the proposed DRA. Figure 1 depicts the antenna unit structure. The ceramic used to make the hollow low-frequency annular cylindrical DR has a relative dielectric constant of 9.8 [18, 19]. The inner high-frequency cylindrical DR is made of Rogers RO3006 with a relative dielectric constant of 6.15. The two DRs are nested. Two metal strips with a 90° feed phase difference are used on the sidewalls of both the low-frequency and high-frequency DRs for probe feeding. An L-shaped microstrip line that is one-quarter wavelength long connects the two feed probes. The low-frequency microstrip line is bent in order to avoid overlap with the high-frequency DR. The low-frequency and high-frequency feeding ports are labeled P1 and P2, respectively [20]. The PCB is made of FR4, which has a dielectric constant of 4.4 and a loss tangent of 0.02. The structural parameters of the antenna unit are shown in Table 1, where the cut angle θ = 35°.

FIGURE 1

Unit structure design. (a) 3D view; (b) top view; (c) side view.

Diagram showing a 3D model of a cylindrical structure with a substrate base and probes. Image (a) shows the isometric view of the cylinder with labeled dimensions and feed points P1 and P2. Image (b) presents the top view, displaying radial dimensions and component positioning. Image (c) illustrates the side view, detailing layer materials—Copper, Rogers RO3006, Ceramic, and FR4. Axes are labeled, and annotations indicate dimensions and material constants.

TABLE 1

Design parameters of unit structure.

Parameter	Value (mm)
L	13.750
h s 1	1.2
h s 2	1.72
w s 1	0.45
w s 2	0.24
w s 3	0.12
r 1	1.375
r 2	2.75
w d 1	0.5
w d 2	0.15
h s 3	2.25
h s 4	3.65
h d 1	5.25
h d 2	4.5
t	0.4

2.2 Design principle

Given a satellite communication operating frequency band, the base radius and height of a typical cylindrical DRA can be calculated using Equation 1: f res = 6.321 c π d ε eff + 2 0.27 + 0.36 d 4 h eff + 0.02 d 4 h eff (1)

Where: c represents the speed of light in free space; d denotes the diameter of the cylinder; ε eff is the equivalent dielectric constant of DR; h eff is the equivalent height of the cylinder [21, 22]. The formulas for calculating the dielectric constant and height are expressed in Equation 2: ε eff = h eff h CDRA / ε CDRA + h sub / ε sub (2)

Where: h CDRA and h sub are the heights of DR and dielectric substrate respectively; ε CDRA and ε sub are the dielectric constants of DR and dielectric substrate, respectively.

This paper first excites the degenerate modes of a DRA using a dual-point feeding method. Circular polarization is then achieved by feeding the two degenerate modes orthogonally, with identical amplitude and a 90° phase difference, by optimizing the feeding microstrip line [23, 24]. The high-frequency DR is fed in the y and x directions, respectively, by metal strip probes M1 and M2 to produce two orthogonal degenerate modes. Figure 2 depicts the high-frequency DR’s electric field distribution pattern at 27 GHz. It can be seen that when only M1 or M2 is loaded on the DR, the DR radiation exhibits linear polarization along the y or x direction. When both M1 and M2 are loaded on the DR, the electric field distribution exhibits a superposition of two linear polarizations in the y and x directions. Thus, circularly polarized radiation can be produced by varying the length of the microstrip line between the two feeding probes to create a 90° phase difference between the two linear polarizations.

FIGURE 2

Evaluation of electric field distribution under different probe feeding conditions.

Three circular vector field diagrams with arrows showing different directions and intensities of magnetic fields labeled M1 and M2. A vertical color bar indicates field strength, ranging from blue to red. Axes labeled x and y are shown.

A nested radiator technique was used to create a co-aperture design for low- and high-frequency antennas in order to satisfy the downsizing criteria of dual-band antennas for satellite communication terminals. A right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) high-frequency cylinder DRA was nested into a hollow cylindrical structure created by modifying the left-hand circularly polarized (LHCP) low-frequency radiator, which was based on the traditional cylindrical DRA [25]. This resulted in a co-aperture dual-band, dual-circularly polarized design, which decreased the antenna’s horizontal dimensions. Figure 3 shows the electric field distribution in the yOz plane of a co-aperture dual-band, dual-circularly polarized antenna operating at 16.8 GHz and 27 GHz, respectively. Based on the mirror image principle and the electric field vector distribution characteristics, the DRA exhibits a HEM 10 δ mode at both resonance points [26]. Furthermore, observation of the internal field distribution of the DRA reveals that the antenna’s specific operating modes at low and high frequencies are δ = 1 and δ = 3 , respectively.

FIGURE 3

Evaluation of electric field distribution (yOz plane). (a) Low-frequency DR at 16.8 GHz; (b) High-frequency DR at 27 GHz.

Vector field diagrams labeled (a) and (b) illustrate rotational patterns within a cylindrical region. Diagram (a) features a vertical gradient from blue to red, indicating varying intensity. Diagram (b) has similar patterns, though in a pink background. Both display arrows and rotational symbols indicating fluid motion. A color scale is on the left for (a), showing blue to red. A three-axis symbol on the right shows directions z and y.

Figure 4 shows the electric field distribution in the xOy plane for a co-aperture dual-band, dual-circularly polarized antenna operating at 16.8 GHz and 27 GHz, respectively. When the antenna operates at low and high frequencies, the electric field in the xOy plane rotates clockwise and counterclockwise as the phase state changes through 0, T/4, T/2, and 3T/4, respectively [27]. This demonstrates that the antenna operates in the LHCP and RHCP states at low and high frequencies, respectively.

FIGURE 4

Evaluation of electric field distribution (xOy plane). (a) LF DR at 16.8 GHz; (b) HF DR at 27 GHz.

Scientific diagram consisting of two panels labeled (a) and (b), each showing four circular plots with varying vector field patterns at phase angles of zero, ninety, one hundred eighty, and two hundred seventy degrees. Each plot contains a colored circular region within segmented arcs and prominent black arrows indicating direction. Panel (a) displays vectors concentrated along the outer arc, while panel (b) shows vectors concentrated within the inner, smaller circle. An axis symbol in the lower right corner marks directions x and y.

2.3 Antenna structure and optimization process

Degraded antenna performance results from electromagnetic mutual interaction between the low-frequency and high-frequency radiators in a nested antenna. To optimize the performance [28], the low-frequency radiator’s structure was optimized, as shown in Figure 5.

FIGURE 5

Antenna structure optimization process. (a) Antenna A; (b) Antenna B; (c) Antenna C.

Three-panel diagram illustrating the rotation of two rigid bodies, labeled P1 and P2, each marked by a colored sector and line, around a central magenta circle. Panel (a) shows both complete circular arcs and lines intersecting; panel (b) shows partial arcs around the circle; panel (c) displays further reduced arcs, implying continued rotation. Labels P1 and P2 change positions in each panel.

2.3.1 Thickened low-frequency DR section design

Figure 6 shows the simulated low-frequency patterns of Antenna A and Antenna B. Antenna A’s asymmetric feed structure affects its radiation performance, resulting in a skewed pattern. By thickening the low-frequency DR section, Antenna B achieves this skewed pattern. Figure 7 evaluates the electric field distribution of the low-frequency DR on the xOy plane at 16.8 GHz. It can be concluded that the electric field on the lower right side of Antenna A is significantly stronger than in other areas [29]. In Antenna B, which has a partially thickened low-frequency DR section, the electric field amplitude is symmetrically distributed. The simulation results show that the skewed low-frequency pattern is successfully resolved by the partial thickening method. Figure 8 illustrates that while partially thickening the low-frequency DR section enhances the impedance matching and axial ratio at low-frequency, it marginally deteriorates the impedance matching and axial ratio at high-frequency, necessitating additional optimization.

FIGURE 6

Radiation performance of antennas A and B under low frequency.

Polar plot comparing gain patterns in decibels of Antenna A and Antenna B in the xOz plane, showing left-hand and right-hand circular polarization with solid and dashed red and blue lines, respectively.

FIGURE 7

Evaluation of electric field distribution at 16.8 GHz in xOy plane.

Diagram showing simulations of two antennas, labeled A and B, with circular designs and overlapping lines around a pink center. Color gradients from blue to red indicate variations, with a vertical color scale on the left. An axis with x and y directions is in the lower right corner.

FIGURE 8

Comparison of antennas A and B performance. (a) S parameter; (b) axial ratio.

Two scientific plots compare antenna performance. The top plot shows S parameter (dB) versus frequency (GHz) for Antenna A and B at ports 1 and 2, with separate curves for each, indicating frequency ranges with low S parameter values. The bottom plot displays axial ratio (dB) versus frequency (GHz) for the same antennas and ports, with a dashed line at 3 dB marking the circular polarization threshold.

2.3.2 Low frequency ring DR notch design

The transition from Antenna A to Antenna B solves the problems of narrow low-frequency axial ratio bandwidth and skewed radiation patterns, but it also degrades impedance matching and circular polarization purity at high frequencies. Because the low-frequency DR in Antenna B is placed above the high-frequency feed microstrip line, strong electromagnetic coupling when feeding the high-frequency port causes high-frequency resonance in the microstructure of the low-frequency DR, resulting in degraded impedance matching and axial ratio at high frequencies [30]. Therefore, improving Antenna B to Antenna C can avoid coupling interference from low-frequency radiation to high-frequency radiation. As shown in Figure 9, the notch design in the low-frequency DR improves high-frequency axial ratio and impedance matching. As depicted in Figure 10, Antenna C achieves better polarization purity than Antenna B, with cross-polarization suppression exceeding 40 dB in the main radiation direction [31–33].

FIGURE 9

Comparison of antennas B and C performance. (a) S parameter; (b) axial ratio.

Line graphs compare antenna performance metrics, with the top panel (a) showing S-parameters in decibels versus frequency for Antenna B and C, and the bottom panel (b) displaying axial ratio in decibels for both antennas at different ports across frequency ranges.

FIGURE 10

Radiation performance comparison of antennas B and C.

Polar plot comparing antenna gain patterns in the xOz plane for Antenna B and Antenna C, showing right-hand and left-hand circular polarization; gain values range from zero to negative fifty decibels isotropic.

3 Antenna unit experimental results and analysis

As shown in Figure 11, a dual-band, dual-circularly polarized DRA prototype was developed and tested to validate the proposed design [34–36]. The measurement findings in Figure 12 show that the antenna unit’s low-frequency and high-frequency operational bandwidths are 18.8% (15.4–18.6 GHz) and 5.2% (26.4–27.8 GHz), respectively. The antenna unit’s maximum left-hand and right-hand gains are 4.3 dBi and 6.8 dBi, respectively. As seen in Figure 13, the antenna unit radiates RHCP waves with a gain of 6 dBi at 27 GHz and LHCP waves with a gain of 4.1 dBi at 16.8 GHz with good polarization purity [37–39]. The intended design is in line with the measured results.

FIGURE 11

Implemented antenna unit. (a) Feeding module; (b) antenna unit.

(a) Square circuit board with a geometric copper trace pattern on an orange background. (b) Small electronic component with connectors, placed beside a ruler showing a size comparison in centimeters.

FIGURE 12

Comparison of simulated and measured performance of the antenna unit. (a) S parameter; (b) axial ratio; (c) gain.

Three graphs displaying antenna performance metrics versus frequency in gigahertz. (a) S parameter graph showing S11 and S22 curves for both simulation and measurement, labeled for LHCP and RHCP. (b) Axial ratio graph with curves for Port 1 and Port 2, comparing simulation and measurement for LHCP and RHCP. (c) Gain graph illustrating gain curves for LHCP and RHCP, highlighting simulation and measurement data. The graphs highlight specific frequency ranges, with shaded areas indicating relevant operational bands.

FIGURE 13

Comparison of radiation performance of the antenna unit under different frequencies. (a) 16.8 GHz; (b) 27 GHz.

Two polar plots labeled (a) and (b) compare measured and simulated antenna gain patterns for left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) and right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) in the xOz plane, using red and blue lines for each.

4 Antenna array design 4.1 Sequential rotation technique

The antenna elements are expanded into a 2 × 2 array using sequential rotation technology to further increase the axial ratio bandwidth and antenna gain [40–42]. The successively rotated elements’ circular polarization direction must stay in line with the element; otherwise, the antenna array will experience a radiation null in the direction of maximum radiation. The schematic diagram of the two-port sequential rotation is depicted in Figure 14. The four antenna elements are rotated 90° around the center, with the main radiation direction of the antenna array being the +z direction [43–45]. The low-frequency feed phases are rotated clockwise to 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, respectively, to achieve left-hand circular polarization. The high-frequency feed phases are rotated counterclockwise to 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, respectively, to achieve right-hand circular polarization [46–48].

FIGURE 14

Illustration of sequential rotation process.

Diagram of four circular patterns marked at zero, ninety, one hundred eighty, and two hundred seventy degrees. Red and black dots indicate LF and HF feed ports, respectively. LHCP and RHCP are labeled with red and black circular arrows. An x-y axis is shown.

4.2 Feed network design

Due to the limited spatial space of the antenna array, different feed network structures were used for high and low frequencies, as indicated in Figure 15. In the low-frequency feed network, the phases of the power divider’s four output ports, PL2 through PL5, increase by 90° in a clockwise orientation [49–51]. The phases of the power divider’s four output ports, PH2 through PH5, increase by 90° in an anticlockwise direction in the high-frequency feed network. Table 2 shows the physical dimensions of the power divider. The simulated S-parameter values for the two power dividers are shown in Figure 16. It can be seen that the power dividers operating in different frequency bands have excellent impedance matching and power distribution performance [52–54].

FIGURE 15

Power feeding structure. (a) Low-frequency; (b) High-frequency.

Two diagrams display printed circuit board layouts on a green background: (a) shows a red single-path microstrip line with label P1 and directional arrows, and (b) shows a blue branched microstrip structure with input P2 and output ports PH2, PH3, PH4, PH5, and marked measurements L and w.

TABLE 2

Feeding structure parameters.

Parameter	Value (mm)
w 1	0.75
w 2	1.3
L s 1	2.48
L s 2	16.2
w 3	0.77
w 4	1.34
L s 3	3.41
L s 4	5.66

FIGURE 16

S-parameter evaluation of the feeding structure. (a) Low-frequency; (b) High-frequency.

Two line graphs display S-parameter (dB) versus frequency (GHz) for different transmission coefficients S11, S21, S31, S41, and S51. The top graph (a) ranges from 14 to 20 GHz, showing significant dips in S11 at around 15.5 and 18.7 GHz, while other S-parameters remain near -10 dB. The bottom graph (b) ranges from 24 to 32 GHz, with a deep dip in S11 near 29 GHz, and other S-parameters remaining relatively flat above -10 dB. Both graphs share a consistent legend and axis labels.

5 Antenna array test results and analysis

To validate the proposed design, a dual-band, dual-circularly polarized DRA array prototype was built and tested, as shown in Figure 17. Figure 18a shows the S-parameter [55–57]. Figure 18b shows that the antenna array’s low-frequency and high-frequency operating bandwidths are 25.5% (14.4–18.6 GHz) and 6.5% (26.8–28.6 GHz), respectively. The antenna array’s maximum left-hand and right-hand gains are 7.7 dBi and 14 dBi, respectively, according to Figure 18c [58–60]. As seen in Figure 19, the antenna array has good cross-polarization and radiates LHCP waves with a gain of 7 dBi at 17 GHz and RHCP waves with a gain of 13.3 dBi at 28 GHz [61–63]. There is good agreement between the modeling results and the measured data [64–66].

FIGURE 17

Array antenna prototype. (a) Feeding structure; (b) Array prototype.

(a) A copper circuit pattern etched onto a square orange PCB. (b) The same PCB with added cylindrical connectors, showing measurement markings with a ruler at the bottom.

FIGURE 18

Comparison of simulated and measured performance of the antenna array. (a) S-parameter; (b) axial ratio; (c) gain.

Three graphs displaying (a) S parameters, (b) axial ratio, and (c) gain against frequency in gigahertz, for LHCP and RHCP polarizations. Solid and dashed lines represent simulation and measurement data. Shaded areas indicate specific frequency bands.

FIGURE 19

Radiation performance evaluation of the antenna array. (a) xOz plane at 17 GHz; (b) yOz plane at 17 GHz; (c) xOz plane at 28 GHz; (d) yOz plane at 28 GHz.

Four polar plots labeled (a) to (d) show antenna gain patterns in decibels (dBi) as a function of angle (degrees). Each plot compares measured (mea) and simulated (sim) left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) and right-hand circular polarization (RHCP). Red lines depict LHCP, and blue lines depict RHCP, with solid lines for simulations and dashed lines for measurements.

The results of a comparison between the antenna unit and array proposed in this paper and antennas from previous sources are displayed in Table 3 [67–69]. The operating bandwidth in this instance is the point where the axial ratio bandwidth and the impedance bandwidth intersect [70–72]. Table 3 shows that the proposed antenna achieves dual-band, dual-circular polarization performance and has a certain advantage in operating bandwidth [73–75]. When the antenna unit is expanded into an antenna array, the antenna gain has a significant advantage over other antennas, making it suitable for satellite communication terminals [76–78].

TABLE 3

Performance comparison of the proposed and existing designs.

Reference	Antenna type	Frequency band	Impedance bandwidth (%)	Axis ratio bandwidth (%)	Working bandwidth (%)	Polarization mode	Gain (dBi)
[7]	Magnetoelectric dipole; dual-frequency dual-circular polarization	Low frequencyHigh frequency	12.44.6	5.09.7	5.04.6	LHCPRHCP	13.211.5
[14]	DRA; broadband dual circular polarization	Broadband	53.5	4.110.9	4.110.9	RHCPLHCP	4.84.8
[15]	DRA; dual-frequency dual-circular polarization	Low frequencyHigh frequency	30.34.4	12.611.9	12.64.4	LHCPRHCP	5.02.4
[17]	DRA; dual-frequency dual-circular polarization	Low frequencyHigh frequency	6.412.8	5.24.1	5.24.1	RHCPLHCP	6.68.2
[75]	DRA; dual-frequency dual circular polarization	Low frequencyHigh frequency	7.311.4	9.810.1	11.34.3	LHCPRHCP	3.85.4
[77]	DRA; broadband dual circular polarization	Low frequencyHigh frequency	6.812.3	8.83.5	10.54.1	LHCPRHCP	4.15.6
Proposed (unit)	DRA; dual-frequency dual-circular polarization	Low frequencyHigh frequency	31.316.8	22.95.2	18.85.2	LHCPRHCP	4.36.8
Proposed (array)	DRA; dual-frequency dual-circular polarization	Low frequencyHigh frequency	38.515.3	25.56.5	25.56.5	LHCPRHCP	7.714.0

6 Conclusion

This paper proposes a common-aperture dual-frequency dual-circular polarization DRA for satellite communication, leveraging the low loss and high efficiency characteristics of DRAs. The Hemian mode is excited and circularly polarized waves are radiated through a microstrip transmission line at the bottom of the cylindrical DR and metal strips of unequal length loaded on its sides. A common-aperture structure is formed by nesting cylindrical DRs within the cylindrical DR, meeting the miniaturization requirements of satellite communication terminals. The antenna’s overall performance is enhanced by cutting and partially thickening the low-frequency DR to lessen electromagnetic interaction between high and low frequencies. The antenna is appropriate for upcoming high-speed satellite internet terminals due to its good impedance matching, high gain within its frequency band, and good polarization purity, according to simulation and measured results. Further research considers port merging based on this design, achieving dual-frequency dual-circular polarization through a single-feed method.

Data availability statement

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.

Author contributions

MS: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Software, Investigation, Resources, Formal Analysis, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing, Data curation. NS: Methodology, Writing – review and editing, Investigation, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Data curation, Resources, Conceptualization, Project administration, Visualization. MP: Project administration, Formal Analysis, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Methodology, Visualization, Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review and editing, Validation, Software. JK: Software, Writing – original draft, Supervision, Formal Analysis, Writing – review and editing, Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Project administration, Resources, Validation. HT-H: Formal Analysis, Visualization, Project administration, Validation, Data curation, Resources, Funding acquisition, Supervision, Methodology, Software, Writing – review and editing, Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – original draft. TH-T: Visualization, Methodology, Conceptualization, Validation, Writing – original draft, Formal Analysis, Supervision, Writing – review and editing, Data curation, Software. IQ: Writing – original draft, Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Conceptualization, Writing – review and editing, Software, Resources, Validation, Formal Analysis. HM: Resources, Writing – review and editing, Conceptualization, Writing – original draft, Project administration, Validation, Formal Analysis, Supervision, Software, Data curation, Visualization. DA: Conceptualization, Writing – review and editing, Methodology, Supervision, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Visualization, Resources, Writing – original draft, Project administration.

Conflict of interest

The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declared that generative AI was not used in the creation of this manuscript.

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Edited by: Imran Khan, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan

Reviewed by: Peican Zhu, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China

Kemal Gokhan Nalbant, Beykent University, Türkiye