Ultrabroadband and Multipolarized Electrically Reconfigurable Reflectarray Antennas

In this article a general strategy for designing ultrabroadband and multipolarized electrically reconfigurable reflectarray antennas (RRAs) is proposed. The realization of ultrabroadband reconfigurable 1-bit phases and nearly uniform reflection magnitudes results from applying the mirror-symmetry principle and subwavelength mechanism, respectively. Numerical simulations reveal that the proposed element operates within an impressive bandwidth spanning of 6.7–10.6 GHz, boasting a fractional bandwidth of 45.1% and featuring a stable 1-bit phase manipulation and reflection loss of ${\leq }1.0$ dB throughout this frequency range. To validate the approach experimentally, an RRA array consisting of $16 \times 16$ elements has been designed, fabricated, and measured for dynamic beam scanning. The measurements confirm a robust beam manipulation bandwidth extending from 7.0 to 11.0 GHz, encompassing a fractional bandwidth of 44.4% for wide-angle beam steering capability of up to 60°. Moreover, the ability to control circularly polarized (CP) electromagnetic waves has also been validated through theory deduction and simulation, demonstrating manipulation bandwidths ranging from 7.0 to 10.5 GHz. This study offers fresh insights into the design of ultrabroadband and multipolarized electrically RRAs and holds vast potential for diverse applications in the next-generation high-speed wireless communication systems.