One-Body Two-Dimensional Switching Matrices With a Triangular Lattice of Beams

This letter presents a numerical design method of one-body two-dimensional (2-D) switching matrices with a triangular lattice of an arbitrary number of beams in each of horizontal and vertical directions, improving the overlap between the beams in a 2-D multiple-beam coverage. With the proposed matrix configuration, the minimum number of cascaded units consisting of a mix of 1-D and 2-D couplers and phase shifters is found to be smaller than that of the conventional cascade of 1-D matrices when the number of beams is larger than three in either of horizontal or vertical directions. The proposed solution is of interest for millimeter-wave applications requiring spatial diversity.