New highly miniaturised multibeam RF beamforming networks for phased array antennas using MMIC and multilayer technologies

A new concept is presented for the implementation of complex fixed multibeam RF BeamForming Networks (BFN) applicable for phased array antennas with radiating elements distributed on a hexagonal grid. This BFN is implemented using MMCM (Mcrowave Multichip Module) technology, based on a combination of MMIC and 3D multilayer structure on Duroid. A 9x9 BFN block demonstrator at S band has been manufactured and tested, achieving a remarkable RF performance, extremely low mass and dimensions and very low manufacturing cost.