Scanning range increase of microstrip dipole phased array by parasitic strips

Abstract

AbstractIn this article, a novel method is introduced to improve the scanning range of the conventional microstrip dipole phased array with half wavelength element spacing. Parasitic strips are used beside every microstrip dipole in the phased array, which not only influence the performance of the microstrip dipole, but also increase the mutual coupling among the elements. The active element pattern of each element is changed as needed because of parasitic strips and mutual coupling, and then the 3‐dB scanning range of the phased array is increased. 1 × 6 microstrip dipole phased array with and without parasitic strips have been designed and fabricated. The measurement results show that they both have good performance on the reflection coefficient at 5.75 GHz and the 3‐dB scanning range is increased from ±40° to ±52°. This method has the advantage that the element size, array size, and profile can all keep unchanged. Meanwhile, the designed array is low‐cost.