By covering a metal ground plane with a periodic surface texture, we can alter its electromagnetic properties. The impedance of this metasurface can be modeled as a parallel resonant circuit, with sheet inductance L, and sheet capacitance C. The reflection phase varies with frequency from +/spl pi/ to -/spl pi/, and crosses through 0 at the LC resonance frequency, where the surface behaves as an artificial magnetic conductor. By incorporating varactor diodes into the texture, we have built a tunable impedance surface, in which an applied bias voltage controls the resonance frequency, and the reflection phase. We can program the surface to create a tunable phase gradient, which can electronically steer a reflected beam over +/- 40/spl deg/ in two dimensions, for both polarizations. We have also found that this type of resonant surface texture can provide greater bandwidth than conventional reflectarray structures. This new electronically steerable reflector offers a low-cost alternative to a conventional phased array.

Two-dimensional beam steering using an electrically tunable impedance surface

A multilayer reflectarray composed of two stacked arrays with rectangular patches of variable size is demonstrated. A progressive phase distribution on the reflector surface is achieved by adjusting the dimensions of the patches. The phase of the reflection coefficient at each element is computed by the method of moments in the spectral domain, assuming local periodicity. A technique is presented for the design of dual polarization reflectarrays that yields all the dimensions for the photo-etching mask. A prototype has been design, built and measured, and a superior bandwidth performance has been verified, compared to conventional single layer reflectarrays.

Design of two-layer printed reflectarrays using patches of variable size

This paper demonstrates a novel means of achieving cophasal far-field radiation for a circularly polarized microstrip reflectarray with elements having variable rotation angles. Two Ka-band half-meter microstrip reflectarrays have been fabricated and tested. Both are believed to be the electrically largest reflectarrays ever developed using microstrip patches. One, a conventional design, has identical square patches with variable-length microstrip phase-delay lines attached. The other has identical square patches with identical microstrip phase-delay lines but different element rotation angles. Both antennas demonstrated excellent performance with more than 55% aperture efficiencies, but the one with variable rotation angles resulted in better overall performance. A brief mathematical analysis is presented to validate this "rotational element" approach. With this approach, a means of scanning the main beam of the reflectarray over a wide angular region without any RF beamformer by using miniature or micromachined motors is viable.

A Ka-band microstrip reflectarray with elements having variable rotation angles

The reflectarray has significant promise in applications requiring high-gain, low-profile reflectors. Recent advances in tuning technology have raised the possibility of realizing electronically tunable reflectarrays, which can dynamically adjust their radiation patterns. This paper presents an electronically tunable reflectarray based on elements tuned using varactor diodes. Modeling approaches based on an equivalent circuit representation and computational electromagnetics simulations are presented. Both techniques accurately predict the scattering characteristics of the unit cell as compared to experimental measurements. The development of a unit cell with over 320omicron of phase agility at 5.5 GHz is discussed. Finally, a 70-element electronically tunable reflectarray prototype operating at 5.8 GHz is presented. Radiation pattern measurements with the reflectarray demonstrate its dynamic beam-forming characteristics. Measurements of the gain of the reflectarray correlate well with theoretical expectations.

Modeling and Design of Electronically Tunable Reflectarrays

Microstrip reflectarray antennas present an alternative to conventional directive antennas in that they are flat, inexpensive, easy to install and manufacture, conformal to the mounting surface, easy to package, and they possess high power and beam steering capabilities. For the first time, a comprehensive, experimentally verified design procedure for the microstrip reflectarray is presented. In this design procedure, the microstrip reflectarray has been shown to be an effective linear array capable of beam switching and dual polarization. The design procedure also allows the array to be fed from a feed-horn offset at any given angle to the plane of the array. The design procedure is well suited for CAD programs. >

Design and performance of a microstrip reflectarray antenna

Beam steering was demonstrated on a microstrip flat reflectarray antenna. A 12-element array of rectangular microstrip patches was designed to achieve beam steering between the angles of -30 degrees and +20 degrees from broadside using a 1-bit digital phase shifter at 10 GHz. >

Beam steering of a microstrip flat reflectarray antenna

A microstrip reflectarray fed with a feed horn offset at a given angle is demonstrated for the first time. The phase considerations for an offset feed horn are applied to a 12 element array of rectangular microstrip patch antennas, operating in X-band, allowing accurate predictions of the redirected radiation based on the offset angle of the feed horn.

Offset-fed microstrip reflectarray antenna

Dual polarisation of a microstrip reflectarray was demonstrated for the first time. A 16 element array of square microstrip patch antennas operating in the X-band was used to reflect the main beam 20" off broadside in both the E-plane and H-plane.

R.D. Javor

Papers

Design and performance of a microstrip reflectarray antenna

Beam steering of a microstrip flat reflectarray antenna

Offset-fed microstrip reflectarray antenna

Dual polarisation of microstrip reflectarray antenna