Patent ID: 6946999

Claim:
A microstrip antenna having an operating frequency which is tunable comprising: (a) a first dielectric layer having an upper surface and a lower surface; (b) a rectangular shaped copper antenna element mounted on the upper surface of said first dielectric substrate, said antenna element generating an electric field; (c) a copper ground affixed to a remaining portion of the upper surface of said first dielectric substrate (d) a continuous gap formed around an upper edge and two sides of said antenna element between said antenna element and said copper ground; (e) a plurality of aligned tuning tabs mounted on the bottom surface of said first dielectric substrate, each of said tuning tabs being positioned on the bottom surface of said first dielectric substrate below the upper edge of said antenna element, each of said tuning tabs having a tuning tab via, the tuning tab via for each of said tuning tabs passing through said dielectric substrate to connect said tuning tab to said antenna element; (f) a second dielectric layer positioned below said first dielectric layer in alignment with said first dielectric layer; (g) a ground plane mounted on a bottom surface of said second dielectric layer, said ground plane being connected to said copper ground on said first dielectric layer by a plurality of ground plane vias which pass from said ground plane through said second dielectric layer and said first dielectric layer to said copper ground on said first dielectric layer; and (h) the operating frequency of said microstrip antenna being tuned by selectively removing said tuning tab vias from said first dielectric substrate.