Reflection phase characterizations of the EBG ground plane for low profile wire antenna applications

Mushroom-like electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures exhibit unique electromagnetic properties that have led to a wide range of electromagnetic device applications. This paper focuses on the reflection phase feature of EBG surfaces: when plane waves normally illuminate an EBG structure, the phase of the reflected field changes continuously from 180/spl deg/ to -180/spl deg/ versus frequency. One important application of this feature is that one can replace a conventional perfect electric conductor (PEC) ground plane with an EBG ground plane for a low profile wire antenna design. For this design, the operational frequency band of an EBG structure is defined as the frequency region within which a low profile…