Design and Analysis of a Compact Frequency Beam-Scanning Antenna Based on Composite FHMSIW/SSPP Waveguide

In this letter, a novel compact frequency beam-scanning antenna (FBSA) using composite waveguide based on folded half-mode substrate integrated waveguide (FHMSIW) and spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPP) is proposed. The novel composite FHMSIW/SSPP waveguide with compact size and high field-confinement is initiated by embedding dual SSPP structures into the FHMSIW. Its transmission characteristic has flexible features from both the FHMSIW and SSPP. To excite the radiation mode from the composite slow-wave waveguide, a simple single-sided sinusoidal modulation method is designed and used. In this way, the common open stop-band problem around broadside is effectively eliminated, and the beam-scanning range of the antenna can be flexibly designed without changing the modulation structure. The presented scanning antenna owns a compact size and a simple feeding network. The experimental results indicate that the proposed FBSA can achieve continuous beam scanning from backward to forward in a wide scanning range of 60 degrees within a bandwidth of 7.7-10.1 GHz. The stable unidirectional radiation patterns and appropriate gains are also realized in the entire operating frequency band.

Automated summary

In this paper, a novel compact frequency beam-scanning antenna using a composite waveguide and spoof surface plasmon polaritons is proposed. The antenna has a compact size and high field-confinement, and offers a flexible beam-scanning range.