Optimum Design of a 4x4 Planar Butler Matrix Array for WLAN Application

Abstract: In recent years, high-speed wireless communication is in vogue. In wireless communication systems, multipath fading, delay and interference occurres by reflection or diffraction. In a high-speed wireless communication, it becomes a necessary to separate desired signal from delay or interference signal. Thus to overcome these problems Smart antenna systems have been developed. Basically there are two types of smart antenna systems, one is Switched beam system and another Adaptive array system.This paper presents the optimum design of a 4x4 plannar Butler matrix array as a key component of a switched beam smart antenna system, operating at 5.2 GHz for WLAN with a dielectric substrate, FR4 of er =4.9 and h=1.6mm. Conception details, simulation results and measurements are also given for the components (microstrip antenna, hybrid couplers, cross-coupler, phase shifter) used to implement the matrix. In this dissertation, mathematical calculations for all the components using MATLAB is done and then every individual component is designed using the commercial software SONNET. Then these entire components have been combined on a single substrate and simulated using SONNET.