Compact wideband FSS-absorber-based low-RCS reflectarray antenna

Abstract

This paper presents a method to realize compact broadband low-RCS ReflectArray (RA) antenna based on a Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) absorber and a reflective metasurface. Such an FSS absorber consists of a resistance-loaded lossy layer and an FSS layer, which is utilized to reach an absorption-transmission response. The bottom reflective metasurface works as a phase array, reshaping the quasi-sphere wave from the feeding antenna into the quasi-plane wave. As a demonstration, the low-RCS RA antenna is simulated, fabricated, and measured. The simulated and measured results show that the developed low-RCS RA antenna has an aperture efficiency of 42.7% and a gain of 25.4 dBi in the X band. In the meantime, it simultaneously reaches the 10 dB RCS reduction for the orthogonal polarizations at the S and C bands, corresponding to a fractal bandwidth of 120%. Specifically, the adopted patch-feeding antenna makes the RA antenna more compact than the horn-feed conventional ones. Furthermore, the proposed RA antenna uses a few layers of substrates, making it lower in cost and easier for fabrication. The proposed design may have potential application in integrated stealth communication systems.