A novel frequency scanning monopulse microstrip antenna array

A novel frequency scanning monopulse microstrip antenna array is proposed in this paper. The array has the frequency scanning performance in one dimension and has the monopulse performance in another dimension. The miniaturized slow-wave structure has been used to achieve the compact structure. Compared with the conventional slow-wave structure, this miniaturized slow-wave structure reduces its height to 45% of the conventional one. The 4×4 frequency scanning monopulse microstrip array has been designed as an example. The 4×4 microstrip antenna, the slow-wave structure and monopulse comparator are placed on the same layer, resulting in a very compact structure. The simulated results show that the range of the scanning angles is (-38°, -6°), the gain is above 12dBi at the working bandwidth and the peak gain is 14.09dBi.