Coupling Reduction Between Dipole Antenna Elements by Using a Planar Meta-Surface

The mutual coupling between dipole antenna array elements using a planar meta-surface as superstrate is experimentally investigated. The meta-surface is based on grids of short metal strips and continuous wires. A comparison between the mutual coupling when the dipoles are radiating in free space and in presence of the superstrate is presented. On average, between 3 to 14 dB reduction of the mutual coupling is achieved when the superstrate is used. The effect of the mutual coupling on the radiation performance of the array is studied by spherical near-field measurements of the radiation pattern when one driven dipole is fed and the others are matched with 50 Omega loads. The back-projected field on the aperture and on the E-plane is shown.