학술논문
Thinned Spiral and Diffused-Configuration Ka-Band SATCOM Phased Arrays With ±60° Beam Scanning
Document Type
Periodical
Author
Source
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on. 72(4):2631-2639 Apr, 2024
Subject
Language
ISSN
0018-9480
1557-9670
1557-9670
Abstract
In this article, we propose a novel method for thinning phased arrays with circular apertures, utilizing a spiral configuration of elements. A comparative study is presented between two types of thinned planar arrays—spiral and conventional diffused thinned arrays. The performance of these arrays is verified using four different filled fractions, occupying 64%, 50%, 32%, and 25% of the element count of an 812-element circular aperture. The measurements were conducted primarily at 29 GHz using a $Ka$ -band satellite communication (SATCOM) transmit phased array. The results demonstrate that both types of arrays exhibit wide scan angles of up to ±60° while keeping the sidelobe levels (SLLs) below −12.5 dB. Specifically, spiral arrays are capable of achieving near-diffraction-limited patterns at wide scan angles. Additionally, both arrays exhibit a similar frequency response to the reference aperture, thus maintaining the operation bandwidth. Application areas are in low-earth orbit (LEO) SATCOM phased arrays or mm-wave imaging systems with a reduced number of elements with diffraction-limited beams and where higher SLLs may be tolerated.