Long Slot Array Fed by a Nonuniform Corporate Feed Network in PPW Technology

• Published in: IEEE transactions on antennas and propagation Vol. 67; no. 8; pp. 5436 - 5445
• Main Authors: Potelon, Thomas, Ettorre, Mauro, Sauleau, Ronan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01-08-2019; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE); Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Aluminum; Antenna arrays; Antenna radiation patterns; Antennas; Broadband antenna; Broadband antennas; Computer simulation; continuous transverse stub (CTS) antenna; Electronics; Engineering Sciences; Feeds; high-gain antenna; low-sidelobe level (SLL) antenna; millimeter-wave antenna; parallel-plate waveguide (PPW) technology; Power dividers; Sidelobe reduction; Sidelobes; Slot antennas; slot array; Technology assessment; parallel-plate waveguide (PPW) technology; millimeter-wave antenna; continuous transverse stub (CTS) antenna; high-gain antenna; Broadband antenna; low-sidelobe level (SLL) antenna; slot array
• ISSN: 0018-926X; 1558-2221
• DOI: 10.1109/TAP.2019.2917581

We present here a novel architecture of high-gain continuous transverse stub (CTS) antenna array operating at E-band (71-86 GHz) with reduced sidelobe level (SLL). The antenna consists of an array of 16 long slots excited by a nonuniform parallel-plate waveguide (PPW) corporate feed network. The nonuniform excitation is achieved by the design of asymmetrical power dividers in PPW technology, for which simple analytical models are provided. Full-wave simulations are validated by measurements of a prototype fabricated in aluminum. The SLL is lower than −28 dB in the E-plane. Such an SLL is 15 dB lower than classical parallel-fed CTS arrays. The overall antenna SLL remains below −18 dB over the 75-86 GHz band. Its mean radiation efficiency is 60%, and the maximum efficiency of 85% is reached at 86 GHz.