Subarray Implementation via Phase Compensation in Circularly Polarized Arrays

• Published in: IEEE transactions on antennas and propagation Vol. 72; no. 11; pp. 8385 - 8393
• Main Authors: Yang, Xin, Wu, Pan, Zhao, Yanwen, Wang, Boning, Nie, Zaiping, Yang, Deqiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.11.2024; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Antenna arrays; Antenna feeds; Antennas; Array implementation; Circular polarization; circularly polarized (CP) antenna; Compensation; Electric fields; Methodology; Modularization; Planar arrays; Polarization; subarray antenna; Synchronization; Vectors
• ISSN: 0018-926X; 1558-2221
• DOI: 10.1109/TAP.2024.3408230

In this article, a universal methodology for implementing subarray architecture in an actual array antenna is proposed. By rotating the circularly polarized (CP) subarrays, the repetitiveness of the subarrays is ensured, thereby enabling the modularization of the subarrays as their feed layers are identical. Leveraging the characteristic of electromagnetic (EM) waves wherein the polarization orientation of the CP EM wave rotates in accordance with the excitation phase, the disordered polarization orientations induced by the subarray rotations are adjusted and synchronized through phase compensation. To verify the feasibility of the proposed methodology, three synthesized subarrays are implemented, comprising an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">8\times 8 </tex-math></inline-formula> domino-like subarrayed planar array, a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">16\,\times \,12 </tex-math></inline-formula> L-octomino subarrayed planar array, and a 349-element polyhex-shaped circle planar array. To further verify the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, the 349-element circle planar array is fabricated, assembled, and measured. Numerical results indicate that the proposed method is a promising approach for subarray implementation, offering notable radiation performance and facilitating modularization.