Fixed-Frequency 2-D Wide-Angle Scanning Leaky-Wave Array With Reconfigurable Probe-Fed Magneto-Electric Dipole

A new 2-D scanning leaky-wave antenna (LWA) design is proposed, with a scanning range larger than competitors. It consists of a 1-bit reconfigurable magneto-electric (ME) dipole array and a pillbox beam-forming network (BFN). The probe-fed ME dipole is minimized to fit the holographic method and is introduced in LWA for the first time. A p-i-n diode is loaded in the L-shaped directly-fed probe to control whether it radiates. The dispersion characteristic of the linear LWA is examined to validate the effectiveness of the holographic method. A procedure is proposed to select the port and hologram for any-angle 2-D beam scanning. The prototype is fabricated and measured, and the results demonstrate the improved scanning range. The scanning range under the 3 dB gain decline condition covers ±54° across the broadside in the H-plane and ±37° in the E-plane in simulation. This design has the advantage of a wider scanning angle, 2-D scanning capability, and low cost. It may find applications in sensing, base stations, and vehicle communications.