Bandwidth and Gain Enhancement of Rectangular Antenna with Upper Corner Etching and Partial Ground for Microwave Breast Imaging Applications

Microwave breast imaging is a novel and promising technique for detecting and diagnosing breast illnesses, including cancer. Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) antennas are necessary for microwave breast imaging to give the required resolution, penetration, safety, and compatibility with microwave signals, allowing for the precise and safe detection of breast abnormalities. In this study, a method of enhancing rectangular antenna bandwidth and gain was implemented by etching a quarter-circle at the patch's corner and lowering the ground plane. Based on the simulation results, adding the upper corner etching and lowering the ground plane of the rectangular antenna increases the bandwidth by 7.2 GHz from 0.7 to 7.9 GHz and increases the peak gain by 2.03 dBi from 2.56 to 4.59 dBi. In tumor detection simulation on breast phantom conditions with tumor, the S11 frequency resonant shifts to 3.89 GHz from 4.44 GHz in non-Tumor conditions. The changes in resonant frequency observed across the three conditions indicate that the antenna is capable of identifying the phantom state of the breast, with or without a tumor.