Transmitarray and Reflectarray Antennas Based on a Magnetoelectric Dipole Antenna

This paper presents a review of transmitarray (TA) and reflectarray (RA) antennas based on the magnetoelectric (ME) dipole antenna structure. First, the basic operating principles of ME dipole, TA and RA antennas are introduced. Next, ME-dipole-based TA and RA designs are discussed, with four antenna designs presented in detail, including two fixed-beam TA designs with high aperture efficiencies and two reconfigurable designs with a beam-scanning capability. The techniques involved in these designs are also analyzed to provide insight into the ME-dipole-based TA and RA designs. The simulated and measured results of the reported prototypes show that the introduction of the ME dipole antenna significantly broadens the bandwidths of the TA and RA antennas not only in the fixed-beam designs but also in the reconfigurable designs. The ME-dipole-based TA and RA designs reported in this paper are compared to highlight their benefits and limitations. Future possible research directions and challenges are also discussed.