Physics

Aperture (computer memory)

Optics

Metamaterial

Antenna (radio)

Acoustics

Ka band

Computer science

X band

Phased array

Antenna array

Telecommunications

IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation

This article proposes an ultralow profile S/X-band shared-aperture phased-array antenna (SAPAA), which can achieve wide beam scanning coverage in both the Sand X-bands. The SAPAA consists of an S-band array with a triangular placement that has 11 elements and a grid array with 8 × 16 X-band elements. To avoid grating lobes in wide beam scanning coverage, a metamaterial-based stacked mushroom structure is proposed to reduce the array spacing of the two bands, where an X-band patch antenna is stacked on a traditional mushroom structure. A 4 × 4 subarray of the stacked mushroom structure operates as a single antenna element in S-band. Consequently, each S-band element corresponds to a 4 × 4 subarray of the X-band element. Because a triangular arrangement in the S-band array and a square arrangement in the X-band array are employed, the array spacing of the two bands is 0.54λ L0 and 0.51λ H0 , respectively, which is suitable for wide beam scanning coverage. Moreover, the shorting pin of the mushroom structure is also the feeding pin of the X-band patch. This structure reuse technology reduces the whole profile to less than 0.04λ 0 . To verify this design, a prototype is fabricated through the multilayer printed circuit board process. It realizes ±50° beam coverage in both the Sand X-bands.

A Metamaterial-Based $S/X$ -Band Shared-Aperture Phased-Array Antenna With Wide Beam Scanning Coverage