Additively manufactured ultrawideband, wide scan, monolithic Vivaldi arrays

The Broadband Additively Manufactured Array Antenna (BAMAA) is a low cost, quick-turn, robust realization of the widely used ultrawideband, wide scan, dual-polarized Vivaldi array. The novel design characteristic is its monolithic structure formed as a single contiguous conductor using additive manufacturing processes. Simulations demonstrate the performance of BAMAA is on par with conventionally manufactured Vivaldi arrays. Numerous prototypes, spanning portions of UHF-to Ku-Band (0.5 GHz to 18 GHz), have been simulated, fabricated, and measured to demonstrate this array technology and its low cost and quick turn fabrication. Excellent measured to modeled agreement is exhibited in active match and element patterns.