A quick look at the core differences between ceramic antennas and PCB antennas

　　A quick look at the core differences between ceramic antennas and PCB antennas

　　1. Essential definition and material properties

　　Ceramic antennas

　　It is made of high dielectric constant ceramics (εr=30~80) as the substrate through a sintering process. It has a block-shaped and multi-layer structure with low dielectric loss.

　　PCB antennas

　　It is formed by etching copper foil on circuit boards such as FR4. Common structures such as monopoles and PIFAs rely on PCB dielectrics (εr≈4.4).

　　2. Core differences in performance

　　Gain and efficiency: Ceramic antenna gain 2~5dBi, efficiency 60%~85%; PCB antenna gain 0~3dBi, efficiency 40%~70%.

　　Bandwidth: Ceramic antenna narrowband (5%~10%), PCB antenna medium-bandwidth (10%~20%).

　　Anti-interference: Ceramic antennas have strong anti-interference, and PCB antennas are easily affected by the electromagnetic field of the motherboard.

　　3. Comparison of advantages and disadvantages

　　Ceramic antenna

　　Advantages: small size (such as 2×2×1mm), good anti-interference, high radiation efficiency;

　　Limitations: difficult multi-band design, high cost (3~5 times that of PCB), and space required for installation.

　　PCB antenna

　　Advantages: extremely low cost (integrated in PCB), flexible design, and convenient mass production;

　　Limitations: low efficiency, susceptible to interference, and poor performance in high-frequency bands.

　　4. Application scenario selection

　　Ceramic antenna: GPS navigation, smart watches, medical equipment (requires high sensitivity and anti-interference);

　　PCB antenna: Bluetooth module, WiFi module, low-cost IoT device (focuses on cost and integration).

　　5. Key design points

　　Ceramic antenna: requires precise matching of balun circuit, installed ≥3mm away from metal;

　　PCB antenna: ground plane ≥λ/2, optimize impedance matching through simulation.