A hybrid-fed dual-polarized stacked patch array antenna for Ku-band radar systems

A novel hybrid-fed dual-polarized 1×4 patch array microstrip stacked antenna is proposed for Ku-band radar systems which require low cross-polarization and compact size. The antenna is fed by cable probe and microstrip transmission line. A conductor ground between two layer dielectric substrates is employed to shield the radiation microstrip patch array and the feed networks in order to discriminate the cross polarization level. Full-wave simulations show promising features in terms of reduced cross-polarization less than -20 dB, return loss better than -10 dB from 14.9 to 15.1 GHz and co-polarized gains greater than 11.9 dBi. The isolation between the two ports is better than 20 dB throughout the designed frequency range. The radiation patterns show good symmetry in both E-plane and H-plane with wider scanning capability.