One-Dimensional Phased Array Beamformer with Halved Signal Lines for Fast Beam Steering

This paper presents one-dimensional four-element phased array beamformer for fast beam steering. Since the phase control word of each phase shifter can be calculated using a simple circuit at each phase shifter edge, the number of signal lines from digital signal processer (DSP) can be halved. Using a phase shifter with linear phase control characteristics eliminates the need for ROM lookup table and enables high-speed beam steering. A prototype beamformer succeeded in generating 5-GHz continuous wave (CW) with positive and negative phase shifts over 360 degrees. The phase switching time was 130 ns.