Angular Scan Enhancement of Ka-Band Circularly Polarized Phased Array Using Dielectric Dome

This paper introduces a dielectric dome designed to enhance the angular scan of a circularly polarized phased array antenna at 29 GHz, while reducing broadside loss. The dome was created using a straightforward calculation-based approach. An $8\times 8$ circularly polarized dome antenna array was simulated to showcase the scalability of the proposed dome antenna array. However, a $4\times 4$ circularly polarized dielectric dome antenna array was manufactured and tested as a proof-of-concept. The proposed dielectric dome extends the angular scan range of a standalone circularly polarized phased array antenna from 40 ° to 50 ° with a 2.4 dB broadside transmission loss. Additionally, the depolarization effects of the dome were studied, revealing that the dome also improves the 3-dB axial ratio scanning range of the phased array antenna from 38 ° to 50 °. Thus, the proposed dome antenna array achieves significant angular scan enhancement and moderate broadside loss using a homogeneous material, and compares favorably with the current state-of-the-art technology. This study also provides valuable insights into the depolarization effects of an angular scan-enhancing dome for the first time. The proposed dome antenna array could be a promising option for B5G/6G non-terrestrial network user terminals.