Energy-selective surface superstrate for gain enhancement and HPM protection of patch antennas

Koçyiğit A., Karadeniz M. B., Çelik B., Arsalı O., Türetken B.

AEU - International Journal of Electronics and Communications, cilt.0, sa.0, ss.1-27, 2026 (Scopus)

Özet

Due to their ability to exhibit adaptive behavior depending on the power level of electromagnetic waves, energy-selective surface (ESS) layers have become one of the most important structures in the last decade for protecting sensitive electronic systems. Since ESS provides transmission to low-power electromagnetic waves while acting as a protective barrier against high-power electromagnetic threats, they are important elements, particularly in defense and communication applications. In this study, a double-layered ESS was designed and fabricated both to increase antenna gain at low power levels and to provide protection potential against high-power microwave (HPM) or electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects for a patch antenna. The antenna design was implemented on an FR-4 dielectric substrate with a rectangular patch and line-fed configuration to operate in the 2.45 GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) band. The ESS layer was positioned as superstrates at a certain distance on the antenna to form a periodic array structure. The design and analysis results show that the ESS superstrate layer can increase antenna gain around 2.27 dBi (~68.66%) in the transmission band, while effectively protecting (22 dB of shielding effectiveness) the antenna under HPM conditions. Thus, the proposed ESS structure can simultaneously behave as both a superstrate layer that improves electromagnetic performance and a protective shield layer against HPM threats.