Virtual Phase Shifter Array and Its Application on Ku Band Mobile Satellite Reception

A virtual phase shifter-based phased array is introduced, fabricated, and measured. Compared to the traditional analog phase shifter mechanism, the proposed virtual phase shifter has very precise phase shifting steps (14 bits over 360°) and the constant insertion loss over all phase states. To verify the concepts, a 256 (${\bf{16}} \times {\bf{16}}$)-element planar rectangular grid phased array is built at Ku band for mobile satellite reception. Eleven decibel carrier to noise ratio (C/N) is obtained when the phased array was in its tracking state. System architecture, phased array element design, calibration procedure, and beam tracking methods are also presented in this paper.