Efficient EM CAD and optimization of reflector antennas and slot-arrays including feed networks

The EM CAD tool WASP-NET is applied for the direct EM optimization of reflector antennas and slot-arrays including feed networks. Based on an advanced multi-solver EM CAD technology, hybridizing mode-matching (MM) / finite-element (FE) / method-of-moment (MoM) / finite-element-boundary-integral (FE-BI) / physical theory of diffraction (PTD) methods, typical calculation times for one optimization iteration are merely in the order of a few seconds (e.g. for body-of-revolution (BOR) type of antennas) up to a few hundreds of seconds (e.g. for large dual-offset reflector antennas or large slot-arrays) per frequency point on a standard quad-core PC. This high calculation speed allows to meet desired specifications by direct EM optimization within short design cycles. Mutual coupling effects are rigorously taken into account. Direct EM optimizations of the entire structure immediately together with corresponding feed and feed networks yield complete, accurate design solutions without the need of post assembly re-adjustments.