Factors that Define the Bandwidth of a Phased Array Antenna

A phased array is inherently narrowband, because phase is a narrowband concept. The components that comprise the array determine the operational bandwidth while, the number of elements, the element spacing, and the maximum scan angle contribute to the array instantaneous bandwidth. This paper considers these four factors in arriving at a definition for the bandwidth of a phased array antenna. A simple formula is derived for phased array bandwidth where the upper frequency is determined by the grating lobe formation and the lower bound based on beam squint/pulse dispersion.