A low‐cost phased array antenna with axially loaded dielectric laminas

Abstract

A low-cost phased array antenna, consisting of waveguide radiators, dielectric phase shifters and a cooperated feeding network, is proposed and experimentally validated in this paper. The required progressive phases are obtained by controlling the loading depths of dielectric laminas, which are axially inserted into the rectangular channels. The phase difference among channels is determined by the lamina length, the loading depth and the dielectric constant. Theoretically arbitrary phases can be achieved with these design freedoms. A validation prototype of a 1 × 4 array antenna operating around 10 GHz with an element spacing of 0.735λ0 demonstrates a continuous beam steering range of ±23°, which is consistent with theoretical predictions.