Compact Beam-Scanning Reflectarray Antenna with SLL Reduction Using In-Plane Panel Translations
Álvarez, A.
;
Matos, S.A.
; Baena, M.
; Pino , M. R.
;
Fernandes, C. A.
Applied Sciences Vol. 15, Nº 8, pp. 4244 - 4244, April, 2025.
ISSN (print):
ISSN (online): 2076-3417
Scimago Journal Ranking: 0,52 (in 2024)
Digital Object Identifier: 10.3390/app15084244
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Abstract
A mechanical beam-scanning reflectarray (RA) antenna is presented for Ka band. The 1D steering of the beam is achieved through linear in-plane panel translations, which can be implemented at low cost using a rail-mounted moving RA panel. Compared to related works, a highly uniform beam level is achieved with a remarkably compact antenna profile. A new technique is also proposed to mitigate the high side lobes caused by the compact antenna optics, achieving an estimated 2.3 dB reduction in maximum SLL. The manufactured prototype has a panel size of 256.4 by 187.2 mm with 2898 elements, and an 𝐹/𝐷 of only 0.47. A measured scan loss of 1.1 dB is achieved over a 45-degree scanning range. The measured gain is 31.6 dBi and the aperture efficiency is 24.7% at the design frequency of 29.5 GHz, with SLL between −9.4 and −17.5 dB. In-band measurements show a 1 dB bandwidth from 28 to over 32 GHz (11.9%).
