In this work, the design and simulation of a 6 GHz microstrip patch antenna integrated with an Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG) structure are presented for enhanced resonance characteristics. The antenna is developed on FR-4 substrate (εr = 4.3, h = 1.6 mm), selected for its low fabrication cost and being apt for high-frequency PCB-based RF applications. A rectangular patch is centrally placed, surrounded by periodic EBG cells acting as a high-impedance surface that reduces surface-wave propagation to improve electromagnetic confinement around the radiator.

The antenna resonates at 6 GHz, and the return loss has improved from −13.04 dB (without EBG) to −18.77 dB with EBG, proving better impedance matching at the frequency of operation. Minimum VSWR is also reduced from 1.57 to 1.26; thus, proving the EBG effectiveness to enhance the signal coupling and radiation performance.

Results show that the loaded EBG enhances the antenna performance with a compact planar footprint that is adequate for GHz-range wireless modules, Wi-Fi 6E, low-range radar, IoT nodes, and emerging high-frequency communication systems