A K/Ka Band Frequency Reconfigurable Transmit/Receive Antenna Array

This paper introduces a broadband right hand circularly polarized (RHCP) 16-element antenna array operating in the frequency band of 20 - 32 GHz. The array elements are truncated patches fed using a sequential rotation power divider (SRPD). The antenna can be used simultaneously in the receiving mode (Rx) and transmitting mode (Tx) by selecting the embedded reconfigurable filters. A PIN diode reconfigurable bandpass filter (BPF) is used at the Tx port in order to select the band of operation. The antenna array produces a gain of 12 - 15 dB over its operating frequencies and an axial ratio less than 0.56 dB over its operating bands. This reconfigurable antenna array can be used for K/Ka-band CubeSat communication.