Phase error analysis of the effect of feed movement on bandwidth performance of a broadband X-Ku band reflectarray

Abstract

A new cell element is introduced for broadband reflectarray applications. The presented unit cell exhibits linear phase response which makes it a suitable candidate for broadband X-Ku band applications. This cell element consists of three concentric rectangular loops etched on a two-layer grounded substrate. The dimensions of the cell element have been optimized to achieve linear phase response in the operation band. A square offset-fed reflectarray of 40 cm × 40 cm was designed and fabricated based on this unit cell with wideband performance at X-Ku band. Considering three different feed positions, the whole reflectarray was simulated in CST and good agreement between simulated and measured results was observed. A maximum gain of 32 dBi was obtained which is equivalent to 58% aperture efficiency. Also, a remarkable value of 36%, 1.5-dB gain bandwidth was measured which is higher compared to previously reported designs in the literature. Another investigation that is carried out in this development through theory and simulation is determination of the effect of feed movement along the focal axis on the operating band of the reflectarray. It is shown for the first time that changing the feed location leads to a considerable shift in the operation bandwidth and maximum gain of the designed broadband reflectarray. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2013.