Design and Simulating an X-Band Light Weight Phase Array Antenna with Integrated Phase Shifter

The advancement of technology has significantly increased the importance of defense systems that can scan and identify attacking targets. These systems rely on phased array antennas to achieve their functionality. The beam remains fixed in a perpendicular orientation without such antennas, preventing effective target detection. Historically, beam rotation was accomplished either mechanically or electronically. Mechanical methods involved the use of levers that required constant rotation, whereas electronic beam rotation was enabled solely by phased array antennas. This process necessitates the use of phase shifters, which are typically implemented using either pin diodes or ferrites. In this article, pin diodes are utilized due to their advantages, including high switching speed, reversibility, and superior availability compared to ferrites.rowParametersAmount۱Total angle covered۴۵Degree۲half power beam width°۱۸۳Angle change stepLess than ۵°۴Polarizationlinear۵Return Loss (VSWR)Less than ۱.۵۶Total weight (antenna, control board, and feeding network)۱ kilogram۷Dimensions۱۵ cm × ۱۵ cm × ۱۰ mm۸Tolerable power۱ watt۹A(area)۱۲۶mm۱۰Horn a ۳۵mm۱۱Horn b۲۷mm۱۲horn flare length۲inch۱۳C ۱۴Center frequency۹.۵ G۱۵λ=c/f۳× /۹.۵=۳۱.۵ Rather than placing all the PIN diodes on a single unit and rotating the entire antenna pattern to the desired angle, this approach proves to be inefficient, as replacing the PIN diodes each time would be impractical. Additionally, constructing such a system would be highly complex. To address these challenges, a more efficient solution involves quantizing the PIN diode phases into two discrete states: ۰° (off) and ۱۸۰° (on), which are incorporated into a single-bit unit cell with dimensions of ۷ × ۷. This configuration allows for the beam to be rotated to the desired angle while maintaining system simplicity. However, one important characteristic of this type of antenna is that, as the scanning coverage angle increases, the antenna gain decreases.

کلیدواژه ها:

Electronic beam steering ، phased array antenna ، phase shifters ، diode pins ، Unit cell