Low-Profile Beam Steerable Patch Array With SIW Feeding Network

This paper presents a novel beam steerable array antenna that encompasses fully planar, low profile and lightweight characteristics for satellite communication (SatCom) applications. The proposed array contains a wideband linear source generator (LSG), an array of circular patches, and an inductive surface. The LSG is designed based on the substrate-integrated-waveguide (SIW) technology, whereas the patches are regarded as coupling circular scatterers, placed on the inductive surface for converting surface wave into the radiating wave. Each scatterer acts as a location-dependent phaser that can tailor the farfield behaviour to leverage beam steering, and is achieved by changing its distribution mechanically. A prototype of the proposed design has been fabricated and measured to evaluate the antenna performance. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated results. The array antenna operates well with S
₁₁
<; -10 dB in the frequency band of 10.75-12.5 GHz and has stable radiation performance with beam steering capability of nearly ±60° in the elevation plane. The total height of the proposed array is about 5.1 mm (0.19λ
₀
). It is envisaged that the proposed antenna array will empower small moving platforms due to low cost, low profile and suitability for mass production.