New Design Techniques for Microstrip Antenna Arrays

The radiation resistance of an open-circuit microstrip termination is to a good approximation, a simple function of the strip width thus suggesting a straightforward yet effective means of element control when used in a large array; furthermore the array bandwidth can be controlled to some extent. The design of linear and two dimensional resonant arrays based on this design procedure is formulated and examples at X and J band are outlined; the beamwidths and sidelobe levels are of the order ± 4.5° and -16dB respectively. The extension of the new technique to travelling wave arrays, circular polarisation and various substrates is under investigation and will be mentioned; computational aspects throughout will be discussed.