Dual-Band Transmitarray With Low Scan Loss for Satcom Applications

This communication presents the experimental validation of independent and wide beam scanning with a dual-band transmitarray antenna (TA) in Satcom up- and down-links at Ka-band. The TA consists of two subarrays: one operates in the down-link with central frequency at 19.5 GHz, while the other one operates in the up-link centered at 29 GHz. Both subarrays share a common radiating aperture to obtain the compact configuration. The TA layout is made of 1 bit unit-cells and its design relies on the bifocal technique to extend the beam-scanning capability. The proposed bifocal prototype includes 1500 up-link unit-cells in a 30 x 50 matrix and 1581 down-link unit-cells arranged in a 31 x 51 rectangular lattice. The 1-D scanning is validated by displacing the feed horn along one direction. We show that the TA beam can be scanned in a +/- 40 degrees and +/- 30 degrees independently in each band while keeping a very low scan loss (<2 dB).

Automated summary

The experimental validation of independent and wide beam scanning with a dual-band transmitarray antenna in Satcom up- and down-links at Ka-band is presented. The antenna layout consists of two subarrays operating at different frequencies, sharing a common radiating aperture to achieve a compact configuration. The design relies on bifocal technique to extend the beam-scanning capability, allowing for independent scanning in each band with very low scan loss.