Ka-band Frequency Scanning Antenna with Wide-Angle Span

Abstract

This paper describes the design procedure and measurement results of a single-layer low-cost, and wideband frequency scanning antenna, which exhibits a nearly symmetrical beam-steering around broadside direction. The measured antenna bandwidth ranges from 27.5 to 40 GHz, which covers most of the Ka-band. In addition, the antenna main beam scans from − 52° to + 42° as the frequency sweeps from 27.5 to 36.5 GHz, showing 94° beam-steering range. At the center frequency of 32 GHz, the beam points to the broadside direction. The measured radiation patterns verify that the beam-pointing error is less than 2° over the scanning range. Furthermore, the measured gain for a 10-cell structure with 6-cm length, varies from 4 to 11 dBi from 27.5 to 36.5 GHz, which is in very good agreement with simulation. The proposed antenna is scalable for designing antennas at different center frequencies or with a desired gain or beamwidth, for different applications such as low-cost millimeter-wave imaging and 5G.