Rectilinear Planar Near-Field Measurements From the Perspective of the Synthetic Phased Array

A new far-field valid angle equation for rectilinear planar near-field measurements is derived. The new valid angle equation is derived by viewing the near-field to far-field transformation process as the generation of a pseudo plane wave by a synthetic phased array and subjecting the antenna-under-test (AUT) to the radiation from this synthetic array. The synthetic phased array does not physically exist; rather, the array is formed during the postprocessing of the planar near-field measurements. The resultant valid far-field angle computed with the new equation is compared against previously established and popularly accepted valid angle equations. A brief discussion is offered on the measurement of low-directivity antennas with a planar near-field measurement system and on amplitude tapering of the near-field measurements to improve the quality of the pseudo plane wave inside the test zone.