A Single-Layer Dual-Band Circularly Polarized Reflectarray With High Aperture Efficiency

Abstract

A single-layer dual-band circularly polarized reflectarray antenna has been designed, fabricated, and tested for Ka-band satellite communications. The reflectarray antenna phasing element is composed of a concentric split-ring, in combination with a modified Malta Cross, where the technique of varying rotation angle and element size has been utilized to compensate the phase delay at 20 and 30 GHz, respectively. All the element configurations have been optimized to reduce cross-polar reflection. The aperture field method has been used to predict the reflectarray radiation performance, such as gain, radiation pattern, and cross-polarization level. A reflectarray with a circular aperture of 420 mm in diameter has been designed, manufactured, and tested for verification. A planar near-field measurement setup has been utilized to measure the reflectarray radiation characteristics. The measured results demonstrate that this dual-band reflectarray has achieved aperture efficiency of 66.5% at 20 GHz and 50% at 30 GHz, respectively.