Semicircular beam-scanning metamaterial antenna with magnetic slot feed

Metamaterials have enabled many new applications and devices since their introduction, with metamaterial-enhanced antennas as one of the primary examples. Here, we describe an extension of previous work for a reconfigurable beam-scanning antenna constructed from a dynamically switchable near-zero-index metamaterial by constructing the lens so as to restrict scanning to a 180° arc in the azimuthal plane by the addition of a PEC ground plane. This modified lens can then be excited by a magnetic slot aperture cut into a substrate-integrated waveguide. This lens, although having restricted functionality compared to the original, allows for reduced design and implementation complexity.