Fixed-frequency beam steering of microstrip leaky-wave antennas using binary switches

dc.contributor.authorKarmokar, D.K.
dc.contributor.authorEsselle, K.P.
dc.contributor.authorHay, S.G.
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractThis paper presents a novel, easy-to-fabricate and operate, single-layer leaky-wave antenna (LWA) that is capable of digitally steering its beam at fixed frequency using only two values of bias voltages, with very small gain variation and good impedance matching while scanning. Steering the beam of LWAs in steps at a fixed frequency, using binary switches, is investigated, and a new half-width microstrip LWA (HW-MLWA) is presented. The basic building block of the antenna is a reconfigurable unit cell, switchable between two states. A macrocell is created by combining several reconfigurable unit cells, and the periodic LWA is formed by cascading identical macrocells. A prototype HW-MLWA was designed, fabricated, and tested to validate the concept. To achieve fixed-frequency beam scanning, a gap capacitor in each unit cell is independently connected or disconnected using a binary switch. By changing the macrocell states, the reactance profile at the free edge of the microstrip and hence the main beam direction is changed. The prototyped antenna can scan the main beam between 31 degrees and 60 degrees at 6 GHz. The measured peak gain of the antenna is 12.9 dBi at 6 GHz and gain variation is only 1.2 dB.
dc.identifier.citationIEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 2016; 64(6):2146-2154
dc.identifier.doi10.1109/TAP.2016.2546949
dc.identifier.issn0018-926X
dc.identifier.issn1558-2221
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11541.2/142141
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherIEEE
dc.relation.fundingARC
dc.rightsCopyright 2016 IEEE
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1109/TAP.2016.2546949
dc.subjectbinary switch
dc.subjectfixed-frequency beam steering
dc.subjecthalf-width (HW)
dc.subjectleaky-wave antenna (LWA)
dc.subjectmacrocell
dc.subjectmicrostrip
dc.subjectreconfigurable
dc.titleFixed-frequency beam steering of microstrip leaky-wave antennas using binary switches
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished
ror.mmsid9916395305501831

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