A novel two-dimensional (2-D) beamsteering transmitarray
inspired on frequency selective surfaces is proposed in
this paper. Individual phase range is applied to each transmitarray
element and thus enabling the steering of the main lobe
of an original antenna pattern in both elevation and azimuth
planes (2-D-beamsteering). This has been demonstrated on a 5× 5
unit-cell stacked structure, loaded with surface mount capacitors,
coupled to the aperture of a standard gain horn antenna.
Additionally, a complete parametric study based on electromagnetic
(EM) simulations using CST Microwave Studio is presented
to evaluate and characterize unit-cell parameters and the behavior
of the array with various numbers of stacked layers and separation
distances. Antenna beamsteering with ranges up to Az = 25o
and El = 25o are achieved by means of EM simulations and
validated against experimental results performed on a physical
prototype at 5.3 GHz. The comparisons yield positive results and
clearly demonstrate the potential and limitations of using such
structures for beamsteering purposes.