Circularly Polarized Parallel Plate Waveguide Multiple-Beam Lens-like Antenna for Satcom Applications

This paper describes a continuous parallel plate waveguide (PPW) quasi-optical beamformer (QOBF) with an array of septum polarizers to generate circular polarization. The PPW quasi-optical beamformer provides broadband and large scanning capabilities, although maintaining a relatively simple mechanical design. The septum polarizer is based on a stepped profile and is designed to provide circular polarization with axial ratio (AR) below 3 dB for a scan range of about +/-19 degrees in Ka-band (27.5 - 30.0 GHz).