Planar Antenna 30dBi Typ. Gain, 10-14.5GHz Frequency Range RM-PA10145-30

A planar antenna refers to a category of antennas whose radiating structure is primarily fabricated on a two-dimensional plane. This contrasts with traditional three-dimensional antennas like parabolic dishes or horns. The most common example is the microstrip patch antenna, but the category also includes printed monopoles, slot antennas, and others.

The key characteristics of these antennas are their low profile, light weight, ease of manufacture, and integration with circuit boards. They operate by exciting specific current modes on a flat metal conductor, which generates a radiating field. By altering the patch’s shape (e.g., rectangular, circular) and feed method, their resonant frequency, polarization, and radiation pattern can be controlled.

The primary advantages of planar antennas are their low cost, compact form factor, suitability for mass production, and ease of being configured into arrays. Their main drawbacks are relatively narrow bandwidth, limited gain, and power handling capacity. They are widely used in modern wireless devices such as smartphones, routers, GPS modules, and RFID tags.