Adjustment of resonant frequency of rectangular patch antennas by placing metallic walls or vias adjacent to their edges

A novel microstrip antenna configuration is proposed for the adjustment of its resonance frequency, where grounded metallic strips (as a groove filled with soldering tin or a line of metalized vias) are placed along the rectangular patch edges. The adjustment of the operating frequency may be performed by the gap spacings between the patch and strips. The proposed patch antenna configuration leads to the reduction of its size and also limits the propagation of surface waves on the substrate, which increases the overall radiation efficiency.