Multibeam Continuous Transverse Stub Array With High-Power Applications

This letter presents a high-power slow-wave structure (SWS) of a parallel plate waveguide (PPW), on which a high-power multibeam antenna array is suggested. The SWS is nonuniform sine curve with a height difference between two metal plates of PPW, which effectively increases the current path, so that the guided wavelength within the PPW can be reduced. The curves on the inner surfaces of the two metal plates are staggered along the propagation direction to maintain a uniform electric field distribution. The impacts of geometrical sizes on the slow-wave effect, transmission characteristics and power capacity are analyzed in theory and verified by HFSS simulation. Continuous transverse stubs (CTSs) are arrayed on the upper plate with an element spacing of 0.8λ₀ for radiation. Multibeam steering is realized by a pillbox parabolic reflector-based line source generator with seven ports. A prototype of 10 10-element CTS array at 9.5 GHz is fabricated to validate the design. A ±34° beam coverage range with the peak gain variation of 5 dB is measured. The antenna array has a high power density of 988 kW/cm².