Abstract
A new implementation of a beam-steering transmitarray is proposed based on the tiled array architecture. Each pixel of the transmitarray is manufactured as a standalone unit which can be hard-wired for specific transmission characteristics. A set of complementary units, providing reciprocal phase-shifts, can be assembled in a prescribed spatial phase-modulation pattern to perform beam steering and beam forming in a broad spatial range. A compact circuit model of the tiled unit cell is proposed and characterized with full-wave electromagnetic simulations. Waveguide measurements of a prototype unit cell have been carried out. A design example of a tiled 10 × 10-element 1-bit beam-steering transmitarray is presented and its performance benchmarked against the conventional single-panel, i.e., unibody, counterpart. Prototypes of the tiled and single-panel C-band transmitarrays have been fabricated and tested, demonstrating their close performance, good agreement with simulations and a weak effect of fabrication tolerances. The proposed transmitarray antenna configuration has great potential for fifth-generation (5G) communication systems.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1259 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-13 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Sensors |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Feb 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Antenna array
- Antenna measurements
- Beam pattern
- Beam steering
- Equivalent circuit modelling
- Transmitarray