Abstract:
An exemplary apparatus providing an antenna for radiating electromagnetic energy is disclosed as having: a first dielectric substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, a patch of conducting material disposed on the first surface, a ground plane of conducting material disposed of the second surface, at least three input means coupled to a plurality of microstrip feed lines wherein the microstrip feed lines have an aspect ratio suitably configured to maximize antenna bandwidth. Disclosed features and specifications may be variously controlled, adapted or otherwise optionally modified to improve and/or modify the performance characteristics of the antenna. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention generally provide an antenna for providing wideband power combining and wideband radiation functions.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally provides improved systems, compositions and methods for an improved antenna for radiating electromagnetic energy; and more particularly, representative and exemplary, embodiments of the present invention generally relate to an improved microstrip patch antenna. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    Certain applications require the power from multiple microwave sources to be combined in order to create a single high-power output signal, which is then radiated by a single antenna. This is typically accomplished using one or more power combiners, such as microstrip power combiners, that combine the power from multiple amplifiers and feed it to a conventional single- or two-port antenna using one or two microstrip lines. Power combiners, however, occupy a significant amount of circuit-board space. If the outputs of a large number of microwave sources are to be combined, the area occupied by power-combining circuitry can be a significant fraction of the total circuit board area. Problems can also occur with this power-combining approach for high-power applications since all the power is concentrated into one or two microstrip lines, which may be very narrow. If too much power is fed through the microstrip lines, it may cause an electrical breakdown. 
         [0003]    Furthermore, these same applications sometimes require some degree of polarization diversity, i.e., the ability to radiate different polarizations (such as right- or left-handed circular polarization, or horizontal or vertical linear polarization) from a single antenna. 
         [0004]    Choi et al., “A V-band Single-Chip MMIC Oscillator Array Using a 4-port Microstrip Patch Antenna,” 2003 IEEE MTT-S Digest Volume 2, June 2003, pp. 881-884, describes an array of four field-effect transistor (FET) oscillators whose outputs are combined using a four-port patch antenna. Two parallel pairs of FET oscillators operating in a push-pull mode drive opposite sides of a rectangular patch antenna, which combines the outputs of the four oscillators and provides feedback due partly to impedance mismatches at each port, resulting in a strongly coupled system. That is, the antenna is an integral part of the oscillator array, and cannot be considered separately. This configuration is effective as a power combiner because the impedance mismatch is not detrimental to system operation. It cannot be used, however, if each port is to be driven by independent microwave sources or if circularly polarized radiation is desired. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,694 issued to Wang et at. discloses a phased-array antenna using a stacked-disk radiator. Two orthogonal pairs of excitation probes are coupled to a lower excitable disk. The polarization of the antenna can be single linear polarization, dual linear polarization, or circular polarization, depending on whether a single pair or two pairs of excitation probes are excited. This antenna, however, cannot be used as a power combiner for multiple sources. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,166 issued to Bhattacharyya et al. discloses a four-port patch antenna capable of generating circularly-polarized radiation. This antenna comprises a radiating patch, a ground plane having at least four slots placed under the radiating patch, at least four feeding circuits (one for each slot), and a hybrid network each of whose outputs feed one of the feed networks and having a right-hand circularly polarized input port, a left-hand circularly polarized input port, and two matched terminated ports. The input impedances at the individual ports of the antenna need not be matched to those of the feed lines; the two matched terminated ports of the hybrid network absorb most of the energy reflected by the antenna, increasing the return loss at the input port. Use of the hybrid network prevents use of the antenna for combining the outputs of more than two microwave sources. In addition, the hybrid network requires a significant area for implementation. 
         [0007]    Hence, there is a need in the art for an improved system or method for combining the power from multiple microwave sources that reduces the need for conventional power-combining circuitry and is suitable for high-power applications and for radiating microwave energy with greater polarization diversity than prior art systems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    In representative aspects, the present invention provides systems, devices and methods for providing an antenna for radiating electromagnetic energy utilizing a first dielectric substrate, a patch of conducting material, a ground plane of conducting material, and at least three input means comprising microstrip feed lines. Advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the Detailed Description which follows and may be apparent from the Detailed Description or may be learned by practice of exemplary embodiments of the invention. Still other advantages of the invention may be realized by means of any of the instrumentalities, methods or combinations particularly disclosed herein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    Representative elements, operational features, applications and/or advantages of the present invention reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereafter depicted, described and claimed—reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. Other elements, operational features, applications and/or advantages may become apparent in light of certain exemplary embodiments recited in the Detailed Description, wherein: 
           [0010]      FIGS. 1   a - 1   d  are diagrams of a four-port implementation of an antenna designed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 1   a  shows a three-dimensional view.  FIG. 1   b  shows a side view.  FIG. 1   c  shows a front view, and  FIG. 1   d  shows a back view. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a diagram showing the location of the feed points in a circular patch in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a graph of measured effective return loss vs. frequency in a prototype four-port antenna designed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  are illustrations showing the two orthogonal linearly polarized outputs and the corresponding inputs of a four-port antenna designed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5   a  is a diagram of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention with an equilateral triangular patch and three input ports; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5   b  is a diagram of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention with a circular patch and three input ports; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a diagram of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention with a sixteen-sided patch and eight input ports; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b  are illustrations showing the two orthogonal linearly polarized outputs of an eight-port antenna illustrative of the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  are diagrams of an illustrative embodiment of an antenna of the present invention with an alternative method for feeding the antenna.  FIG. 8   a  shows a normal view and  FIG. 8   b  shows an exploded view; 
           [0020]      FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  are diagrams showing the current best mode embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 9   a  shows a normal view and  FIG. 9   b  shows an exploded view; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a graph of measured effective return loss vs. frequency in a prototype four-port antenna designed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b  are diagrams of a sixteen-port version of the antenna designed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a graph of measured effective return loss vs. frequency in a prototype sixteen-port antenna designed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  is a diagram of an illustrative system for radiating high power microwave energy designed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIGS. 14   a ,  14   b  and  14   c  are diagrams showing construction of feed lines for a four-input system for radiating high power microwave energy designed in accordance with the teaching of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  is a diagram showing construction of feed lines for an eight-input system for radiating high power microwave energy designed in accordance with the teaching of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 16  is a diagram showing an exploded view of an exemplary system for radiating high power microwave energy designed in accordance with the teaching of the present invention; and 
           [0028]      FIG. 17  is a graph of the calculated effective reflection coefficient of the optimized patch antenna shown in  FIG. 15 . 
       
    
    
       [0029]    Elements in the Figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the Figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the terms “first”, “second”, and the like herein, if any, are generally used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. Moreover, the terms “front”, “back“, “top”, “bottom”, “over”, “under”, and the like, if any, are generally employed for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for comprehensively describing exclusive relative position or order. Any of the preceding terms so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances such that various embodiments of the invention described herein, for example, are capable of operation in orientations and environments other than those explicitly illustrated or otherwise described. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0030]    The following representative descriptions of the present invention generally relate to exemplary embodiments and the inventor&#39;s conception of the best mode, and are not intended to limit the applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description is intended to provide convenient illustrations for implementing various embodiments of the invention. As will become apparent, changes may be made in the function and/or arrangement of any of the elements described in the disclosed exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
         [0031]    The present invention eliminates the need to pre-combine the outputs of multiple microwave sources by providing a patch antenna with multiple input ports. The power sources are coupled directly to the antenna, and the power is combined in the antenna itself, rather than using separate circuit-based power combiners. The area that would otherwise be occupied by power combiners can be eliminated or used for other purposes. The total radiated power is spread over a much larger volume than if a single feed were to be used, reducing the possibility of overheating or electrical breakdown due to excessively high electromagnetic fields. The invention uses reflection cancellation to increase the return loss at each input port and thereby increase the overall bandwidth of the antenna system. By properly locating the feed points, the direct reflections from the individual ports are cancelled by the signals coupled from the other ports, eliminating the need for additional impedance-matching circuitry. Furthermore, a single multiple-port patch antenna designed in accordance with the present teachings can radiate right-handed circular polarization, left-handed circular polarization, or any desired linear polarization when driven by the appropriate set of inputs. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 1   a - 1   d  are diagrams of a four-port implementation of an antenna  10  designed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention.  FIG. 1   a  shows a three-dimensional view,  FIG. 1   b  shows a side view.  FIG. 1   c  shows a front view, and  FIG. 1   d  shows a back view. The assembled antenna  10  includes a microstrip patch antenna and at least three input ports  22 . The patch antenna  10  is comprised of a dielectric substrate  12  with opposite first and second surfaces  14  and  16 , a patch  18  of conducting material disposed on the first surface  14 , and a ground plane  20  of conducting material disposed on the second surface  16 . Note that in  FIG. 1   b , the thickness of the patch  18  and ground plane  20  are exaggerated for illustrative purposes. The patch itself can be fabricated using conventional printed-circuit etching techniques. 
         [0033]    In the illustrative embodiment of  FIGS. 1   a - 1   d , the patch  18  is circular. The size of the patch  18  is determined primarily by the desired frequency of operation. It is well known that the resonant frequencies of a circular patch of radius a are approximated by: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   f 
                   = 
                   
                     
                       
                         χ 
                         mn 
                       
                        
                       c 
                     
                     
                       2 
                        
                       π 
                        
                       
                           
                       
                        
                       a 
                        
                       
                         
                           
                             μ 
                             r 
                           
                            
                           
                             ɛ 
                             r 
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   1 
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0034]    where χ′ mn  represents the n th  zero of the derivative of the m th -order Bessel function J m (x) of the first kind [i.e., J′ mn (χ′ mn )=0. The frequency of interest is the lowest-order resonant frequency for which m=1, n=1, and χ′ 11 =1.841. For example, if μ r =1, ε r =2.2, and f=1.03 GHz, the patch radius should be a=2.264 inches. 
         [0035]    A plurality of input ports  22  are coupled to the patch  18 . In the illustrative embodiment of  FIGS. 1   a - 1   d , the antenna  10  is fed by four coaxial ports  22 , each attached directly to its feed point  26 , i.e., the point at which the center conductor  24  of the coaxial port  22  is attached to the patch  18 . The outer conductors of the coaxial ports  22  are connected to the ground plane  20 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 2  is a diagram showing the location of the feed points  26  in a circular patch  18  of radius a. In this embodiment, each input port  22  is placed directly opposite of its feed point  26 , with the feed points  26  on the patch side  14  of the substrate  12  and the input ports  22  on the other side  16  of the substrate  12 . In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the feed points  26  are equally distributed around a circle of radius d having the same center as the patch  18 . In  FIG. 2 , the four feed points are labeled  1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  4 , with port  1  opposite port  3 , and port  2  opposite port  4 . 
         [0037]    Proper choice of patch size and proper placement of the feed points are the most critical elements in the design and construction of the present invention. With a single-port patch antenna, the return loss is maximized by placing the port at the proper distance from the center of the patch. With a four-port patch antenna, one cannot simply place the ports in the same locations they would occupy in a one-port design, since there is cross-coupling between ports that is not present in a single-port design. That is, if all four ports are excited simultaneously, the reflected wave at port  1 , for example, is composed of contributions from all four ports: a directly-reflected wave from port  1 , and cross-coupled waves from ports  2 ,  3 , and  4 . 
         [0038]    In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the feed points are placed so that the sum of the directly-reflected and cross-coupled waves is very small, i.e., the direct reflection from port  1  is nearly, cancelled by the cross-coupled waves from ports  2 ,  3 , and  4 . By, this reflection-cancellation technique, each port is matched without the need for additional impedance-matching elements. 
         [0039]    If the amplitudes of the incident waves at the four ports are denoted A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , and A 4 , the amplitudes of the reflected waves B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , and B 4  at each of the four ports are given by: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               [ 
               
                 
                   
                     
                       B 
                       1 
                     
                   
                 
                 
                   
                     
                       B 
                       2 
                     
                   
                 
                 
                   
                     
                       B 
                       3 
                     
                   
                 
                 
                   
                     
                       B 
                       4 
                     
                   
                 
               
               ] 
             
             = 
             
               
                 [ 
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         S 
                         11 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         12 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         13 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         14 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         S 
                         21 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         22 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         23 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         24 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         S 
                         31 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         32 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         33 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         34 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         S 
                         41 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         42 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         43 
                       
                     
                     
                       
                         S 
                         44 
                       
                     
                   
                 
                 ] 
               
                
               
                 [ 
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         A 
                         1 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         A 
                         2 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         A 
                         3 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         A 
                         4 
                       
                     
                   
                 
                 ] 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0000]    where the elements S ij  are the S parameters for the four-port patch antenna. If it is desired to radiate circular polarization, then the inputs at each port must be of nearly equal amplitude and 90° out of phase with those of its immediate neighbors. For example, let: 
         [0000]        A   1   =e   j0 =1=1∠0° 
         [0000]        A   2   =e   jπ/2   =j= 1∠90°, 
         [0000]        A   3   =e   jπ =−1=1∠180°, 
         [0000]        A   4   =e   j3π/2   =−j= 1∠270°;   [3] 
         [0040]    This set of inputs will yield a right-hand circularly-polarized (RHCP) output. To obtain a left-hand circularly-polarized (LHCP) output, simply let A 2 =−j and A 4 =j in Eqn. (3). The amplitude of the reflected wave at port  1  for the inputs given in Eqn. (3) is then given by: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           B 
                           1 
                         
                         = 
                         
                           
                             
                               S 
                               11 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               1 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               12 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               2 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               13 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               3 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               14 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               4 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         = 
                         
                           
                             S 
                             11 
                           
                           + 
                           
                             j 
                              
                             
                                 
                             
                              
                             
                               S 
                               12 
                             
                           
                           - 
                           
                             S 
                             13 
                           
                           - 
                           
                             j 
                              
                             
                                 
                             
                              
                             
                               S 
                               14 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         = 
                         
                           
                             S 
                             11 
                           
                           - 
                           
                             S 
                             13 
                           
                           + 
                           
                             j 
                              
                             
                               ( 
                               
                                 
                                   S 
                                   12 
                                 
                                 - 
                                 
                                   S 
                                   14 
                                 
                               
                               ) 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   4 
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0041]    Clearly, the amplitude of the reflected wave will be identically equal to zero if the following conditions are satisfied: 
         [0000]        S   11   =S   13 , 
         [0000]        S   12   =S   14    [5] 
         [0042]    Since both the antenna and the placement of the ports are symmetric, as shown in  FIG. 2 , identical conditions will hold at the three remaining ports. Moreover, the symmetry of the patch and the port placement guarantees that the coupling from port  2  to port  1  is nearly identical to that from port  4  to port  1 , so that S 12 ≈S 14 . Therefore, reflections can be minimized by choosing the proper distance d from the center of the patch at which to place each of the four ports so that |S 11 −S 13 | is minimized. 
         [0043]    A prototype four-port patch antenna was designed to operate at a frequency of f=1.03 GHz. Eqn. 1 was used to calculate a starting value of a 0 =2.264 inches for the patch radius. The distances d and a were determined iteratively. For the four-port patch shown in  FIGS. 1   a - 1   d , the best parameters were found to be a=2.198 inches and d=0.380 inches. This design was fabricated and its S parameters were measured using a network analyzer.  FIG. 3  is a graph of measured effective return loss vs. frequency in the prototype four-port antenna, in which the amplitude of the reflected wave at each port is calculated using Eqn. 2 with the set of inputs given in Eqn. 3. The effective return loss is the magnitude of the ratio of the reflected power to the incident power, measured on a logarithmic scale: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     Return 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     Loss 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     at 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     Port 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     n 
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       20 
                        
                       
                         log 
                         10 
                       
                        
                       
                          
                         
                           R 
                           n 
                         
                          
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         - 
                         20 
                       
                        
                       
                         log 
                         10 
                       
                        
                       
                          
                         
                           
                             B 
                             n 
                           
                           
                             A 
                             n 
                           
                         
                          
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   6 
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0044]    Note that the center frequency is approximately 2 MHz too high, and the worst-case return loss is slightly less than 15 dB at the center frequency. Further design refinements can be made to correct the center frequency and increase the return loss at the center frequency. 
         [0045]    By choosing a different set of input phases, the same design can also be made to radiate a linearly-polarized wave. Suppose that the inputs are given by: 
         [0000]        A   1   =e   j0 =1, 
         [0000]        A   2   =e   j0 =1, 
         [0000]        A   3   =e   jπ =−1, 
         [0000]        A   4   =e   jπ −1;   [7] 
         [0046]    In this case, the amplitude of the reflected wave at port  1  is: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           B 
                           1 
                         
                         = 
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             
                               S 
                               11 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               1 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               12 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               2 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               13 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               3 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               14 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               4 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         = 
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             S 
                             11 
                           
                           - 
                           
                             S 
                             13 
                           
                           + 
                           
                             S 
                             12 
                           
                           - 
                           
                             S 
                             14 
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         ≈ 
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             S 
                             11 
                           
                           - 
                           
                             S 
                             13 
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   8 
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0000]    since S 12 ≈S 14  (S 12  and S 14  will be nearly equal in a real antenna). This is the same matching condition as for circular polarization, so the same antenna will radiate either polarization with the appropriate change in input phases. 
         [0047]    In fact, the antenna can radiate either of two orthogonal linear polarizations, depending on the phases of the inputs.  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  illustrate the two orthogonal linearly polarized outputs and the corresponding inputs as seen viewed from the back of the antenna In  FIG. 4   a , the inputs are given by Eqn. 6 and the output polarization is in the direction from port  1  to port  4 . In  FIG. 4   b , A 1 =1, A 2 =−1, A 3 =−1, and A 4 =1, and the output polarization is in the direction from port  1  to port  2 . 
         [0048]    The present invention is not limited to patches that are circular in shape with four ports. Patches of other shapes may be used without departing from the scope of the present teachings. Furthermore, the invention may have any number of input ports greater than two.  FIG. 5   a  is a diagram of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention with an equilateral triangular patch  18  with three ports  22 . The ports  22  can be placed at 120° intervals on a circle centered on the center of the patch, as illustrated in  FIG. 5   a . Notice that the triangle whose vertices are the three ports  22  is rotated with respect to the patch  18 . It is not necessary that the ports be placed along the bisectors of each side or along the bisectors of each angle. 
         [0049]    In this geometry, each port  22  sees exactly the same environment as the other two ports, so that if one port is matched, all the ports are matched. The same is true of the antenna shown in  FIG. 5   b , in which the triangular patch has been replaced by a circular patch. 
         [0050]    In general, an N-port patch antenna can be constructed by utilizing a suitable geometric figure having N-fold rotational symmetry; that is, a figure that is invariant when rotated about its axis of symmetry by any integer multiple of 360/N degrees. A special case is a circle, which is invariant under any rotation about its center. Design of such an N-port patch antenna is greatly simplified when the geometry “seen” by each port is the same, for if one port is matched, all of the ports are matched. This condition is satisfied by distributing the ports at equal intervals around a circle centered on the axis of symmetry of the patch. In the case of a circular patch, the ports are equally distributed around a circle having the same center as the patch. 
         [0051]    As an example, consider an 8-port patch antenna constructed from a 16-sided polygon with ports arranged as shown in  FIG. 6 . The ports  22  are located every 45° on a circle of radius d centered on the polygon&#39;s axis of rotational symmetry. The ports  22  are labeled  1  through  8 , with port  1  opposite port  5 , port  2  opposite  6 , port  3  opposite port  7 , and port  4  opposite port  8 . The patch geometry and the radius d are chosen to minimize the total power reflected from each port. By properly choosing the phases at the input ports, the antenna can be made to radiate either left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) or right-hand circular polarization (RHCP). The following is a set of inputs for RHCP: 
         [0000]        A   1   =Ae   j0   =A∠ 0°, 
         [0000]        A   2   =Ae   jπ/4   =A ∠45°, 
         [0000]        A   3   =Ae   j2π/4   =Ae   jπ/2   =jA=A ∠90°, 
         [0000]        A   4   =Ae   j3π/4   =A ∠135°, 
         [0000]        A   5   =Ae   j4π/4   =Ae   jπ   =−A=A ∠180°, 
         [0000]        A   6   =Ae   j3π/4   =Ae   jπ   =−A=A ∠180°, 
         [0000]        A   7   =Ae   j6π/4   =Ae   j3π/2   =A ∠270°, 
         [0000]        A   8   =Ae   j7π/4   =A ∠315°;   [9] 
         [0052]    The following inputs can be used for LHCP: 
         [0000]        A   1   =Ae   j0   =A φ0°, 
         [0000]        A   2   =Ae   j7π/4   =A ∠315°, 
         [0000]        A   3   =Ae   j6π/4   =Ae   j3π/2   =−jA=A ∠270°, 
         [0000]        A   4   =Ae   j5π/4   =A ∠225°, 
         [0000]        A   5   =Ae   j4π/4   =Ae   jπ   =−A=A ∠180°, 
         [0000]        A   6   =Ae   j3π/4   =A ∠135°, 
         [0000]        A   7   =Ae   j2π/4    =Ae   jπ/2   =A ∠90°, 
         [0000]        A   8   =Ae   jπ/4   =A ∠45°;   [10] 
         [0053]    For example, for the set of inputs yielding a RHCP output, the total reflected wave at port  1  is given by: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           B 
                           1 
                         
                         = 
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             
                               S 
                               11 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               1 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               12 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               2 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               13 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               3 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               14 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               4 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               15 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               5 
                             
                           
                           + 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             
                               S 
                               16 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               6 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               17 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               7 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               18 
                             
                              
                             
                               A 
                               8 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         = 
                           
                          
                         
                           A 
                           ( 
                           
                             
                               S 
                               11 
                             
                             + 
                             
                               
                                  
                                 
                                   ( 
                                   
                                     jπ 
                                     / 
                                     4 
                                   
                                   ) 
                                 
                               
                                
                               
                                 S 
                                 12 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               
                                  
                                 
                                   ( 
                                   
                                     jπ 
                                     / 
                                     2 
                                   
                                   ) 
                                 
                               
                                
                               
                                 S 
                                 13 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               
                                  
                                 
                                   ( 
                                   
                                     j 
                                      
                                     
                                         
                                     
                                      
                                     3 
                                      
                                     
                                       π 
                                       / 
                                       4 
                                     
                                   
                                   ) 
                                 
                               
                                
                               
                                 S 
                                 14 
                               
                             
                             - 
                             
                               S 
                               15 
                             
                             - 
                             
                                
                               
                                 ( 
                                 
                                   jπ 
                                   / 
                                   4 
                                 
                                 ) 
                               
                             
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             S 
                             16 
                           
                           - 
                           
                             
                                
                               
                                 ( 
                                 
                                   jπ 
                                   / 
                                   2 
                                 
                                 ) 
                               
                             
                              
                             
                               S 
                               17 
                             
                              
                             
                                
                               
                                 ( 
                                 
                                   j3π 
                                   / 
                                   4 
                                 
                                 ) 
                               
                             
                              
                             
                               S 
                               18 
                             
                           
                         
                         ) 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         = 
                           
                          
                         
                           A 
                           [ 
                           
                             
                               ( 
                               
                                 
                                   S 
                                   11 
                                 
                                 - 
                                 
                                   S 
                                   15 
                                 
                               
                               ) 
                             
                             + 
                             
                               
                                  
                                 
                                   ( 
                                   
                                     jπ 
                                     / 
                                     4 
                                   
                                   ) 
                                 
                               
                                
                               
                                 ( 
                                 
                                   
                                     S 
                                     12 
                                   
                                   - 
                                   
                                     S 
                                     16 
                                   
                                 
                                 ) 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               
                                  
                                 
                                   jπ 
                                   / 
                                   2 
                                 
                               
                                
                               
                                 ( 
                                 
                                   
                                     S 
                                     13 
                                   
                                   - 
                                   
                                     S 
                                     17 
                                   
                                 
                                 ) 
                               
                             
                             + 
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                           
                          
                         
                            
                           
                             
                               ( 
                               
                                 j3π 
                                 / 
                                 4 
                               
                               ) 
                             
                              
                             
                               ( 
                               
                                 
                                   S 
                                   14 
                                 
                                 - 
                                 
                                   S 
                                   18 
                                 
                               
                               ) 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   11 
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0054]    To minimize the reflected wave amplitude, the antenna must be designed to minimize: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           R 
                           1 
                         
                         = 
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             B 
                             1 
                           
                           A 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         = 
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             ( 
                             
                               
                                 S 
                                 11 
                               
                               - 
                               
                                 S 
                                 15 
                               
                             
                             ) 
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                                
                               
                                 ( 
                                 
                                   jπ 
                                   / 
                                   4 
                                 
                                 ) 
                               
                             
                              
                             
                               ( 
                               
                                 
                                   S 
                                   12 
                                 
                                 - 
                                 
                                   S 
                                   16 
                                 
                               
                               ) 
                             
                           
                           + 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                           
                          
                         
                           
                             
                                
                               
                                 ( 
                                 
                                   jπ 
                                   / 
                                   2 
                                 
                                 ) 
                               
                             
                              
                             
                               ( 
                               
                                 
                                   S 
                                   13 
                                 
                                 - 
                                 
                                   S 
                                   17 
                                 
                               
                               ) 
                             
                           
                           + 
                           
                             
                                
                               
                                 ( 
                                 
                                   j 
                                    
                                   
                                       
                                   
                                    
                                   3 
                                    
                                   
                                     π 
                                     / 
                                     4 
                                   
                                 
                                 ) 
                               
                             
                              
                             
                               ( 
                               
                                 
                                   S 
                                   14 
                                 
                                 - 
                                 
                                   S 
                                   18 
                                 
                               
                               ) 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   12 
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0055]    The procedure by which this is achieved is similar to that for the four-port circular patch described earlier. 
         [0056]    In general, for an antenna having N ports, the phases at the input to each port should be increased in increments of 360/N degrees, proceeding from port to port in either a clockwise direction, to yield a left-hand circularly-polarized radiated wave, or in a counter-clockwise direction, to yield a right-hand circular-polarized radiated wave. 
         [0057]    Thus, the eight-port patch antenna can radiate both right-hand and left-hand circular polarization. Since a linearly-polarized wave is simply the superposition of two equal-amplitude circularly polarized waves of opposite helicity, a vertically-polarized output can be obtained by driving the antenna with the same superposition of inputs that yield the corresponding circularly-polarized waves, as given by the following: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         V 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         1 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         
                           1 
                           2 
                         
                          
                         
                           ( 
                           
                             
                               A 
                               1 
                               
                                 L 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 H 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 C 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 P 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               A 
                               1 
                               RHCP 
                             
                           
                           ) 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       1 
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         V 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         2 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         
                           1 
                           2 
                         
                          
                         
                           ( 
                           
                             
                               A 
                               2 
                               
                                 L 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 H 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 C 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 P 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               A 
                               2 
                               RHCP 
                             
                           
                           ) 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         1 
                         
                           2 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         V 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         3 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         
                           1 
                           2 
                         
                          
                         
                           ( 
                           
                             
                               A 
                               3 
                               
                                 L 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 H 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 C 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 P 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               A 
                               3 
                               RHCP 
                             
                           
                           ) 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       0 
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         V 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         4 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         
                           1 
                           2 
                         
                          
                         
                           ( 
                           
                             
                               A 
                               4 
                               
                                 L 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 H 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 C 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 P 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               A 
                               4 
                               RHCP 
                             
                           
                           ) 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         - 
                         
                           1 
                           
                             2 
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         V 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         5 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         
                           1 
                           2 
                         
                          
                         
                           ( 
                           
                             
                               A 
                               5 
                               
                                 L 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 H 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 C 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 P 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               A 
                               5 
                               RHCP 
                             
                           
                           ) 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         - 
                         1 
                       
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         V 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         6 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         
                           1 
                           2 
                         
                          
                         
                           ( 
                           
                             
                               A 
                               6 
                               
                                 L 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 H 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 C 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 P 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               A 
                               6 
                               RHCP 
                             
                           
                           ) 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         - 
                         
                           1 
                           
                             2 
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         V 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         7 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         
                           1 
                           2 
                         
                          
                         
                           ( 
                           
                             
                               A 
                               7 
                               
                                 L 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 H 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 C 
                                  
                                 
                                     
                                 
                                  
                                 P 
                               
                             
                             + 
                             
                               A 
                               7 
                               RHCP 
                             
                           
                           ) 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       0 
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           8 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         
                           
                             1 
                             2 
                           
                            
                           
                             ( 
                             
                               
                                 A 
                                 8 
                                 
                                   L 
                                    
                                   
                                       
                                   
                                    
                                   H 
                                    
                                   
                                       
                                   
                                    
                                   C 
                                    
                                   
                                       
                                   
                                    
                                   P 
                                 
                               
                               + 
                               
                                 A 
                                 8 
                                 RHCP 
                               
                             
                             ) 
                           
                         
                         = 
                         
                           1 
                           
                             2 
                           
                         
                       
                     
                     ; 
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   13 
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0058]      FIG. 7   a  is a diagram of an eight-port patch antenna with the inputs given by Eqn. 13. The output is linearly polarized in the direction from port  1  to port  5  (vertically in  FIG. 7   a ). 
         [0059]    Horizontal linear polarization is obtained from the same set of inputs simply by rotating the inputs by 90° clockwise or counter clockwise with respect to ports  1  through  8 , as given by: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         H 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         1 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           7 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       0 
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         H 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         2 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           8 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         1 
                         
                           2 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         H 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         3 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           1 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       1 
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         H 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         4 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           2 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         1 
                         
                           2 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         H 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         5 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           3 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       0 
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         H 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         6 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           4 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         - 
                         
                           1 
                           
                             2 
                           
                         
                       
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         H 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         7 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           5 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       1 
                     
                   
                   , 
                   
                     
 
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       A 
                       
                         H 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         8 
                       
                     
                     = 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           V 
                            
                           
                               
                           
                            
                           6 
                         
                       
                       = 
                       
                         - 
                         
                           
                             1 
                             
                               2 
                             
                           
                           . 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   14 
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0060]      FIG. 7   b  is a diagram of an eight-port patch antenna with the inputs given by Eqn. 14. The output is linearly polarized in the direction from port  7  to port  3 . 
         [0061]    The condition that all ports see the same geometry simplifies the design of the multiple-port patch antenna, but it is not a requirement. Other antenna configurations in which different ports see different geometries may be used without departing from the scope of the present teachings. 
         [0062]    In the illustrative embodiment of  FIGS. 1   a - 1   d , the antenna is fed by four coaxial ports, each attached directly to its feed point. This configuration may be inconvenient in some cases in that the feed points are so close together that any connectors will interfere with each other. Other configurations for feeding the antenna may be used without departing from the scope of the present teachings. 
         [0063]      FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  are diagrams of an illustrative embodiment of an antenna  10 A of the present invention with an alternative method for feeding the antenna that decouples the feed points from the location of the input ports.  FIG. 8   a  shows a normal view and  FIG. 8   b  shows an exploded view. In this configuration, the patch  18  lies on one outer face of a two-layer circuit, and a microstrip feed network  30  lies on the other face. The patch  18  lies on a first surface of a first dielectric substrate  12 , and a ground plane  20  lies on the second surface of the first dielectric substrate  12 . A first surface of a second dielectric substrate  32  lies on the ground plane  20 , and the microstrip feed network  30  lies on the second surface of the second dielectric substrate  32 . Thus, the patch antenna  18  and the microstrip feed network  30  share a common ground plane. Each port  22  (i.e., the coaxial connector) makes a transition to the microstrip. A microstrip transmission line  30  then carries the energy delivered by the port  22  to a point directly under the corresponding feed point  26  on the antenna  18 . At this point, a metallic probe  34  carries the energy from the microstrip transmission line  30  through a hole in the common ground plane  20  to the feed point  26  on the lower surface of the patch  18 . 
         [0064]    There are several advantages to this method of feeding the antenna. First, it allows scaling the multiple-port patch antenna to all frequencies, as one no longer need be concerned with mechanical interference between adjacent connectors at high frequencies (where the distance between feed points is smaller than the size of the connectors). It also allows one to make use of the area on the microstrip-feed side of the board for circuitry. For example, if it is required to protect the microwave sources feeding the antenna from large reflections, surface-mount isolators can be mounted on the back of the antenna, possibly eliminating the need for a circuit board elsewhere in a larger system. 
         [0065]      FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  are diagrams showing the current best mode embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 9   a  shows a normal view and  FIG. 9   b  shows an exploded view of a four-port version of the multiple-port patch antenna. The antenna  10 B includes two dielectric substrates  12  and  32 . The patch  18  (which is circular in this example) is disposed on a first surface of the first dielectric substrate  12 . The second surface of the first substrate  12  faces a first surface of the second substrate  32 . The ground plane  20  is disposed on the second surface of the second substrate  32 . The coaxial connectors  22  feed microwave energy to microstrip feed lines  30  that are sandwiched between the two dielectric substrates  12  and  32 . The four coaxial connectors  22  are attached to the ground plane  20 , arranged in a circle around the circular patch  18 . The center conductors of the coaxial ports  22  are each connected to a microstrip feed line  30 . For each coaxial port  22 , the distance of the point of connection from the end of the corresponding microstrip feed line  30  is chosen to minimize the reflected power from the coaxial-to-microstrip transition. The microstrip feed lines  30  carry the microwave signal to the ends of the feed lines  40 , where it is radiated into the volume between the patch  18  and the ground plane  20 . The locations of the ends of the feed lines  40  are determined in a similar manner as described above for the feed points  26  in the other embodiments. In this example, the ends of the feed lines  40  are equally distributed around a circle having the same center as the patch  18 . 
         [0066]    A prototype four-port patch antenna utilizing the best-mode embodiment was constructed. The design procedure is the same as that for the four-port circular patch described earlier. For the four-port patch shown in  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b , the radius a of the circular patch  18  is 2.073 inches, and the ends of each of the four microstrip feed lines  30  are arranged on a circle of radius 1.72 inches. Both the first substrate  12  and the second substrate  32  are 0.125 inches thick and have a dielectric constant of 2.2.  FIG. 10  is a graph of the measured effective return loss vs. frequency of each port of the prototype four-port patch antenna. Note that the center frequency is approximately 5 MHz too high, and the worst-case return loss is approximately 27 dB at the center frequency. Further design refinements can be made to correct the center frequency and to reduce the spread in the center frequencies of the individual ports. 
         [0067]      FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b  are diagrams of a sixteen-port version of the antenna designed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the teachings of the present invention.  FIG. 11   a  shows a normal view and  FIG. 11   b  shows an exploded view. The antenna  10 C is similar to that of  FIGS. 10   a  and  10   b , except having sixteen ports  22  and microstrip feed lines  30 . This antenna is designed to radiate a circularly-polarized wave. To achieve this, the phases at the input to each port increase in increments of 22.5 degrees; that is, if port  1  is 0 degrees (where any port can be chosen as port  1 ), then the phase at the input to port  2  should be 22.5 degrees, the input to port  3  should be 45 degrees, etc., proceeding from port to port in either a clockwise direction, which will yield a left-hand circularly-polarized radiated wave, or in a counter-clockwise direction, which will yield a right-hand circular-polarized radiated wave. 
         [0068]    A prototype sixteen-port patch antenna was constructed using the design shown in  FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b . For the sixteen-port patch shown in  FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b , the radius a of the circular patch  18  is 2.023 inches, and the ends of each of the sixteen microstrip feed lines  30  are arranged on a circle of radius 1.908 inches. Both the first substrate  12  and the second substrate  32  are 0.125 inches thick and have a dielectric constant of 2.2.  FIG. 12  is a graph of the measured effective return loss vs. frequency of each port of the prototype sixteen-port patch antenna. Note that the center frequency is approximately 7 MHz too high, and the worst-case return loss is approximately 21 dB at the center frequency. Further design refinements can be made to correct the center frequency and to reduce the spread in the center frequencies of the individual ports. 
         [0069]    Unfortunately, however, as the number of feed ports and microstrip feed lines  30  increase, they tend to crowd together making the design of patches  18  having more than approximately eight ports  22  problematic. Difficulties may arise not only in the placement and arrangement of feed lines  30 , but their close proximity may result in detrimental electrical interference. Accordingly, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, modifications to the geometry or the microstrip feed lines  30  may facilitate their placement and distribution upon the second dielectric substrate  32 . Of additional benefit, the modifications to the geometry of the microstrip feed lines  30  may be further used to control the central frequency and bandwidth characteristics of the antenna  10 . With reference to  FIG. 14 , it may be preferable that the approximate width of the feed lines  30  diminish as each feed line  30  approaches the center of the patch  18 . 
         [0070]    Generally, the modifications to the feed line  30  geometry may be formed with the following algorithm. The algorithm is simply provided to illustrate a suitable method that may be used to create the feed lines  30  having the described geometry. The example algorithm describes a suitable process for creating a feed structure having only four feed lines  30 . The feed lines  30  are constructed by initially metallizing a square area  1410  upon a substrate layer  1405  (see  FIG. 14   a ). From the square area  1410 , a series of triangular areas  1415  are removed by an etching process. The etching process may include any etching process, whether now known or subsequently hereafter described in the art. The size and number of triangular sections  1415  will be generally be determined by the number and size of the feed lines  30 . In  FIG. 14   b , there are four isosceles triangular sections  1415  that correspond to the four inputs. The triangular sections  1415  have been removed from the metallized square area  1410 . The triangular sections  1415  have an angle  1425  that is formed by the connection of the triangular section&#39;s  1415  congruent sides. In this case, the angle  1425  is approximately 80 degrees. The triangular sections  1415  are oriented such that the point formed by angle  1425  lays upon the center of metallized area  1410 . The side of the triangular section  1415  that is opposite the angle  1425  lays upon the outer boundary  1420  of the metallized area  1410 . Finally, with reference to  FIG. 14   c , a central portion  1420  of the square area  1410  is removed. In this example, the removed portion  1420  comprises a rotated square shape that is subtracted from the original metallized square area  1410 . The square shape is selected to substantially correspond with that of the originally metallized area  1410 —although it will generally be smaller in area. 
         [0071]    With reference to  FIG. 15 , a more general process for creating the improved feed lines  30  may be described for antennas  10  having N feed lines  30 . First, a metallized area  1410  is created upon a substrate  1405 . The metallized area  1410  has an outer boundary  1430  and has N-fold rotational symmetry, where N is the number of inputs and feed lines  30 . From that area, a series of triangular shapes  1415  will be removed. In an antenna  10  having N inputs, there will be N triangular portions  1415  that will be removed from the originally metallized area  1410 . In alternative embodiments, the number of feed lines  30  may not be equal to the number of inputs. For example, each input may feed into two or more feed lines  30 . Alternatively, each input may serve a differing number of feed lines  30  depending upon the specific application. Generally, the triangular sections  1415  will all be approximately the same size. In the majority of cases, the triangular sections  1415  will be isosceles triangles having an angle  1425  formed by the connection of the triangular section&#39;s congruent sides. They will generally be oriented so that the base of the triangular section  1415  (the side opposite the angle  1425 ) will lie upon the outer boundary  1430  of the metallized area  1410 . The point of the angle  1425  will generally lie upon the center of the metallized area  1410 . In the majority of cases, the triangular sections  1415  will be equally distributed around the metallized area  1410 . Note that although this example removes triangular shapes  1415  from the metallized area  1410  in order to separate the feed lines  30 , other shapes may also be used. For example, instead of triangles, rectangular areas may be used. It is only necessary that the feed lines  30  be physically separated. 
         [0072]    Finally, a central portion  1420  of the metallized area  1410  will be removed. The central portion will generally comprise an area having N-fold rotational symmetry and so will have the same general shape as the original metallized area  1410 . However, the central portion  1420  will be smaller than that of the originally metallized portion  1410 . Accordingly, the outer boundary  1435  of the central portion  1420  also defines the inner boundary  1435  of the feed lines  30 . In some cases, as reflected in  FIG. 15  the central portion  1420  will be rotated by some angle  1540  that is approximately determined by the value of N. In  FIG. 15 , assuming that the central portion  1420  is initially oriented in the same manner as the originally metallized area  1410 , the central portion  1420  will be rotated by 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               ( 
               
                 360 
                 N 
               
               ) 
             
             2 
           
         
       
     
         [0000]    degrees. 
         [0073]    In cases where the antenna  10  has a large number of inputs and feed lines  30 , the manufacturing process may become excessively cumbersome as largely faceted shapes become difficult and expensive to manufacture accurately. Fortunately, as the number of inputs increases, the N-fold rotationally symmetric shapes will begin to approximate circles. Because circular shapes can be easier to manufacture, it may be beneficial to simply use a circular shape to define the outer and inner boundaries of the feed lines  30  rather than use N-fold rotationally symmetric shapes. Note that antennas having a relatively small number of inputs may similarly benefit from the use of circular shapes to define the inner and outer boundaries of the feed lines  30  instead of employing N-fold rotationally symmetric shapes. 
         [0074]    Similar benefits may be derived from simplifying construction of the patch  18 . In an antenna  10  having N ports  22  and N feed lines  30 , it is generally preferable that the outer boundary of the patch  18  have N-fold symmetry. However, in many applications, a circular patch  18  satisfies the N-fold symmetry requirement. This is especially true for systems having a relatively high number of feed lines  30  because as N increases, N-sided polygons having N-fold rotational symmetry become functionally equivalent to circles. 
         [0075]    The bandwidth of the N port antenna  10  can be controlled by altering the size and shape of the patch  18 , the outer boundary  1430  of the feed lines  30 , and the inner boundary  1435  of the feed lines  30 . In an exemplary embodiment where the patch  18  approximates a circle having a radius of 1.93 inches, the outer boundary  1430  of the feed lines  30  approximates a circle having a radius of 2.3 inches, and the inner boundary  1435  of the feed lines  30  approximates a circle having a radius of approximately 1.499 inches, the band over which VSWR is less than 2 extends from 1.08 GHz to 1.82 GHz, yielding a center frequency of 1.45 GHz and a fractional bandwidth of 51% (see  FIG. 17 ). It should be noted that in this particular exemplary embodiment, the feed lines  30  are separated by small rectangles of non-conducting material having approximate width of 100 mm. The small rectangles are generally oriented such that a line running parallel to the length and through the center of any of the rectangles would pass through the center of the patch  18 . 
         [0076]      FIG. 16  is a diagram showing a specific construction of the best mode of the present embodiment. This description is in no way intended to limit the scope of the current invention. With reference to  FIG. 16 , patch  18  is printed upon a first surface  1610  of a sheet of 5 mil 5880 Duroid having ½oz. copper. Although Duroid is used in the present embodiment, any other suitable material such as PCB materials including Rogers® 4000, DuPont® Teflon®, polyimide, polystyrene, cross-linked polystyrene, copper clad laminates, glass laminates, and/or Kapton-based materials may be used. The second surface  1615  of 5 mil 5880 Duroid XX is coupled to a bonding film  1620  which is, in turn, coupled to a first surface  1625  of a sheet of Rohacell Foam  1630  having an approximate thickness of 0.625″. The Rohacell Foam  1630  is generally a high-frequency low-loss dielectric foam having an ε R  value of approximately 1.05. Other suitable materials include other Polymethyl methacrylate products, Expanded polystyrene, Extruded polystyrene, polypropylene, Polyethylene foams, and others. The second surface  1635  of the Rohacell foam  1630  is coupled to a bonding film  1640  which is, in turn, coupled to a first surface  1645  of a second sheet of 5 mil Duroid XX  1650 —again, alternative materials may be suitable depending upon the application. The second sheet of 5 mil Duroid  1650  further comprises feed lines  30  which are printed upon its first surface  1645 . The second surface  1655  of the second sheet of 5 mil Duroid  1650  is coupled to a bonding film  1660  which is, in turn, coupled to a first surface  1665  of a second sheet of Rohacell foam  1670  having an approximate thickness of 0.5″. The second surface  1675  of the second sheet of Rohacell foam  1670  is coupled to a bonding film  1675  which is, in turn, coupled to aluminum ground plane  1680 . SMA connectors  1685  allow for electrical inputs to be coupled to the antenna  10 . The SMA connectors  1685  are coaxial-conductors that have a center conductor that is coupled to the feed lines  30  and an outer conductor that is coupled to the aluminum ground plane  1680 . SMA connectors  1685  need not be coaxial conductors and may comprise any suitable connectors for coupling electrical components. During construction, a series of holes  1690  may be used to facilitate correct orientation and placement of the various components of the antenna  10 . 
         [0077]    This invention requires that a means must be provided for controlling the phase and the amplitude at the input to each port of the antenna. Amplitude and phase control can be achieved by several means.  FIG. 13  is a diagram of an illustrative module  50  for radiating high power microwave energy designed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In most cases, each port  22  of the antenna  10  will be driven by a separate microwave power amplifier  54 . An amplitude control unit  56  is used to control the amplitude of the input to each amplifier  54 , and a phase control unit  58  is used to control the phase of the input to each amplifier  54 . The master signal amplified by each amplifier  54  may be derived from a master oscillator  52 , so that the inputs to each amplitude control unit  56  are in phase. A number of different means are available for implementation of the amplitude control unit  56 , including digitally-controlled variable attenuators. The phase control unit  58  can take the form of a ferrite phase shifter or a digital delays line at the input or output of each amplifier  54 . It is also possible to “hard wire” the phase shifts simply by connecting the antenna  10  to the output of each amplifier  54  by using lengths of transmission line (coaxial cable, for example) cut to the length required to yield the desired phase at the input to each port  22  of the antenna  10 . 
         [0078]    In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments; however, it will be appreciated that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth herein. The specification and Figures are to be regarded in an illustrative manner, rather than a restrictive one and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the claims and their legal equivalents rather than by merely the examples described above. 
         [0079]    For example, the steps recited in any method or process claim may be executed in any order and are not limited to the specific order presented in the claims. Additionally, the components and/or elements recited in any apparatus embodiment may be assembled or otherwise operationally configured in a variety of permutations to produce substantially the same result as the present invention and are accordingly not limited to the specific configuration recited in the claims. 
         [0080]    Benefits, other advantages and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to particular embodiments; however, any benefit, advantage, solution to problem or any element that may cause any particular benefit, advantage or solution to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required or essential features or components of the invention. 
         [0081]    As used herein, the terms “comprising”, “having”, “including” or any variation thereof, are intended to reference a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, composition or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements recited, but may also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, composition or apparatus. Other combinations and/or modifications of the above-described structures, arrangements, applications, proportions, elements, materials or components used in the practice of the present invention, in addition to those not specifically recited, may be varied or otherwise particularly adapted to specific environments, manufacturing specifications, design parameters or other operating requirements without departing from the general principles of the same.