A compact antipodal Vivaldi antenna with superwideband characteristics is presented in this paper. For improved matching of input impedance at lower frequency region, techniques like binomial tapering of outer edges, binomial slit loaded outer edge, and protruded binomial tapered stub loading have been adopted. The antenna operates in a wide frequency range from 2 to 20 GHz. Experimental results show, stable radiation pattern with peak realized gain of more than 8 dBi, group delay within 1 ns, 164% fractional bandwidth, radiation efficiency of more than 90%, which are in good agreement with the simulated results. The compact size of the proposed antenna (1.14λ0 × 1.21λ0) with wide frequency bandwidth and directional radiation characteristics make it suitable for through-wall radar and medical imaging applications.
