A 3‐D metal printed folded‐shorted patch array with an integrated feeding circuit offering dual‐band circularly polarised radiation for cubesat applications

Abstract

AbstractThis letter presents a three‐dimensional (3‐D) printed metallic antenna array that combines folded‐shorted patches (FSPs) and meandering for structure compactness. The design provides dual‐band functionality, operating in the L‐band and the S‐band. The compact and broadband feeding network, which is also integrated onto the backside of the antenna ground plane, enables circularly polarised radiation over an operational bandwidth of more than 80%. The dimensions of the array are 0.4 × 0.4 × 0.056 (where λ0 is the free space wavelength at 1.2 GHz), making the design suitable for CubeSats and other space constraint applications. The measured right‐handed circular polarised realised gains are 2.32 dBic and 1.84 dBic at 1.2 GHz and 2.45 GHz, respectively. In addition, the 3‐D metallic printed FSP elements can be flexibly arranged for different link requirements and other applications like beam steering.