Abstract
A new type of radome was designed around 2 GHz, comprising alternately layers with negative permeability and positive index of refraction materials. The negative permeability, obtained by the square ring resonators (SRRs) network and the thickness of the radome are optimized so that the radiated electromagnetic waves generated by the antenna are passing through with minimum reflection. The compact electrical size of the SRR structure (similar to lambda/20) was obtained by optimizing the geometrical and electrical parameters as increasing the coupling between the resonators. The effect of the radome on the antenna characteristics is evaluated by simulation and measurements with good agreement. Enhancements of the gain, directivity, and impedance bandwidth are also observed. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 1119-1123, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25127