A Figure of Merit in a Time-Modulated Array

In this letter, we use G/T as a figure of merit to evaluate the performance of time-modulated arrays (TMA). The noise performance of a receiver, which is periodically switched ON and OFF, is quite different from that of a conventional receiver. We analytically investigate the noise performance of a TMA. Based on this analysis, the figure of merit, G/T, of the TMA structure is investigated, including the details of the receiver hardware. Moreover, the G/T of the TMA is compared with that of a phased array. The comparison indicates that the TMA structure provides the same or even better performance compared to a phased array system, which demonstrates the capability of TMA in providing reasonable G/T as a low-cost beamforming structure.