Low Cost Active Antenna Arrays – Dependence on Array Configuration

Active antenna arrays are very valuable in creating reconfigurable, low-cost, wireless point-to-point networks. These wireless links can be used for a variety of applications from high-speed Internet backbone to multi-media content delivery. The key technical element to a low-cost telecommunication system is to optimize the number of antenna elements and minimize the impact that front end system parameters such as gain, temperature, and noise figure have on the overall circuit. A formulation for general active array optimization is proposed, integrating front end elements such as low noise amplifier, phase shifter, and arbitrary feed networks. A generalized G/T formulation is discussed for active arrays. Tradeoff between module gain/size, feed losses, and amplifier gains/noise figures and their effect on the G/T and SNR of different arrays is shown.