Stacked Patch Antenna With Air Dielectric and Capacitive Loading

The patent extracts and removes the heavy high-dielectric substrate from the antenna structure, replacing it with air as the dielectric medium. This is achieved by suspending the patch elements in air using a thin low-loss dielectric support structure, thereby eliminating the weight penalty while maintaining performance through capacitive loading techniques

The patent changes the dielectric parameter from high-dielectric substrate materials to air (dielectric constant ≈ 1), fundamentally altering the electromagnetic environment. This parameter change is compensated by introducing capacitive loading structures that adjust the resonant frequencies and impedance characteristics to match desired performance specifications

The patent removes the expensive high-dielectric substrate from the antenna construction, replacing it with air and minimal low-loss dielectric support structures. This extraction eliminates the need for costly substrate materials while maintaining performance through alternative design approaches

The patent employs inexpensive low-loss dielectric materials for support structures instead of expensive high-dielectric substrates. These minimal support structures serve their purpose of holding patch elements in position while incurring negligible cost compared to traditional substrate-based designs

The patent segments the antenna into discrete patch elements suspended in air, with minimal dielectric support structures positioned strategically to provide stability. This segmentation allows each element to be independently positioned and secured, maintaining manufacturing stability while minimizing overall substrate usage

The patent introduces thin low-loss dielectric layers as intermediary support structures that provide mechanical stability and positioning for the patch elements in air. These intermediary supports are sufficient to maintain manufacturing stability without requiring extensive substrate material