Wideband Reconfigurable Reflectarray Based on Reflector-Backed Second-Order Bandpass Frequency Selective Surface

In this communication, a wideband reconfigurable reflectarray based on reflector-backed active second-order bandpass frequency selective surface (FSS) is presented. The reflector is composed of periodic short-circuited parallel plate waveguide (PPW) and the FSS is composed of stacked non-resonant metallic elements separated by thin dielectric substrates. By integrating microwave varactors in the capacitive layers of FSS, more than 270 degrees continuous phase tunability is achieved within a fractional bandwidth of 14%. A 1-D reflectarray prototype operating at C-band is fabricated and measured. The experimental results show that it can achieve +/- 55 degrees beam scanning coverage. Symmetric beam steering is observed due to the center-fed configuration. With advantages of low cost and simple structure, the proposed reflectarray can be potentially used in wideband wireless communication and radar systems.

Automated summary

This paper presents a wideband reconfigurable reflectarray based on reflector-backed active second-order bandpass frequency selective surface. By integrating microwave varactors, it achieves more than 270 degrees continuous phase tunability. The experimental results show that the prototype operating at C-band can achieve a wide range of beam scanning coverage, making it suitable for wideband wireless communication and radar systems.