Abstract
This paper presents a circularly polarized microstrip patch antenna with a method for radar cross section (RCS) reduction operating at 2.45 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. The reduction of RCS in antenna design was achieved by integrating metamaterial unit cells to minimize backscattering without affecting antenna resonance frequency. Various angles of incident waves were analyzed on the proposed antenna. Results demonstrate a maximum RCS reduction of −12 dB. Furthermore, the proposed antenna achieves stable circular polarization and a 9.9% gain improvement compared to a reference design. Monostatic RCS analysis confirms reduced scattering at multiple angles, rendering the design suitable for stealth communication and next-generation wireless applications.