Search

This article proposes a method to engineer degenerate band-edge conditions in periodic substrate-integrated waveguides (SIWs). A degenerate band edge (DBE) is a fourth-order exceptional point originating from the coupling of four Floquet–Bloch modes; it leads to a dispersion relation flatter than a regular band edge (RBE) and is suitable to design slow wave structures and high $Q$ -factor resonators. Design guidelines to achieve a DBE point are given based on Bloch analyses of unit cells. An oblique line of vias in SIW is proposed to form a suitable modal coupling between adjacent waveguides enabling a degenerate band-edge condition. The effect of losses and the robustness to parameter variations are discussed by means of rigorous Bloch analyses. A unit cell showing the best behavior concerning the losses and geometric tolerances is selected and prototypes of finite-length resonators are realized. Measurements validate simulated results and confirm the typical $N^{5}$ scaling of the loaded $Q$ -factor to the number of cells $N$ of the resonator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, metasurfaces have become a rapidly growing domain of research in several fields of engineering and applied physics due to their ability to manipulate both phase and amplitude of electromagnetic fields. These artificial 2D-materials, usually composed of metallic elements printed on dielectric substrates, have the advantages of being low profile, lightweight as well as easy to fabricate and integrate with standard circuit technologies. In this context, this paper reviews the latest progress in metasurface antenna design, where metasurfaces are used to miniaturize the profile, increase the bandwidth, and control the radiation pattern in the near- and far-field regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a method for the analysis of lossy substrate-integrated waveguide structures. The analysis is achieved through the cylindrical-wave mode expansion of the field and a mode matching technique to enforce boundary conditions on the post surfaces. We introduce an approximated formulation of the previous exact procedure, valid in the microwave regime, and numerically examine a number of microwave devices using both approximated and exact analyses. These devices include filters, couplers, phase shifter, and so on. Results are presented for the scattering parameters and compared with those obtained with the commercial software in terms of accuracy and computational time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The manipulation of the near-field (NF) is a challenging topic in electromagnetics, carrying essential importance for several applications. In this paper, we develop an algorithm capable of shaping the NF in 3-D domains according to given specifications. The algorithm is based on a set theoretic approach and a front-and-back iterative propagation scheme. The latter is realized using fast Fourier transforms (FFT), reducing the required computational time. The algorithm is applied on a focal shaping scenario. In this case, a full control of the depth of focus, spot diameter, and sidelobe level of the generated radiation is achieved. In particular, the proposed procedure is successfully adopted to control the normal component of a radiating aperture over a range of 12 \lambda at 30 GHz. The derived aperture field distribution is then synthesized by a radial line slot antenna (RLSA) by means of an in-house method of moments (MoM) code. NF measurements have validated the proposed approach and prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper deals with the design of scalar metasurface antennas capable of radiating a well-polarized beam in the far-field or near-field zones. The equivalent electric current over the metasurface is used to derive design equations to generate the desired field pattern based on the scalar impedance condition. In particular, it is shown that scalar metasurfaces can be used to generate linear and circular polarizations for a fixed pointing direction in the far field by properly changing locally the scalar impedance boundary condition. In addition, they can also be used to generate normal polarized Bessel beams in the near-field region. Several solutions are presented at 20 GHz, with different polarizations and feeders developed in the framework of a two-year research project financed by the French space agency (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales). Measurements and full-wave results validate the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We describe the design of a radial line slot array antenna with a shaped and focused near field. The antenna is designed in such a way to control the side lobe level and beamwidth of the normal component of the electric field with respect to the radiating aperture. The design procedure consists of two steps. In the first step, the requirements on the near-field pattern are provided over a focusing plane at a given distance from the radiating aperture. A set theoretic approach is then used to derive the aperture field distribution fitting the requirements over the near field. In the second step, the aperture field distribution is synthesized by accurately placing and sizing the slots of the antenna. The spillover efficiency is maximized during the design process. The antenna is centrally fed by a simple coaxial probe. The antenna design is validated by a prototype and measurements at 12.5 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A novel spectral formulation is proposed here for the coupling integral between a cylindrical wave with arbitrary radial wavenumber and azimuthal dependence, and a slot placed on a plane orthogonal to the wavefront. Such a kind of integral is massively encountered in electromagnetic modeling of stratified structures comprising slots and vertical pins or vias. The twofold spatial integral defining the coupling is transformed into an equivalent onefold spectral integral, the integration path of which is selected to obtain Gaussian decay of the integrand. Both propagating and evanescent cylindrical modes are considered. An arbitrary stratification orthogonal to the slot plane can be considered, as well as an arbitrary current on the slot. Numerical comparisons against the standard spatial approach are shown to validate the new formulation, and its advantage in terms of computation cost is investigated in depth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We propose a fast and accurate full-wave code capable of analyzing electrically large substrate integrated waveguides consisting of stacked parallel-plate waveguides hosting dielectric or metallic posts and coupling and/or radiating slots. Boundary conditions enforced on posts yield scattering amplitudes, while slots are modeled by equivalent magnetic currents, solved by a method of moments. Substantial accelerations are proposed to exploit various symmetries of the structures and to select the optimal number of modes according to the relevant geometrical and physical parameters. The formulation is validated by full-wave simulations with a commercial software and measurement results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A metasurfing concept is demonstrated and applied in the design of Luneburg lens antennas. Using an array of size-varying circular patches on a dielectric substrate inside a parallel-plate waveguide (PPW) structure variable surface impedance is obtained, which realizes an equivalent refraction index as that of a Luneburg lens. The obtained lens has good bandwidth characteristics and significant fabrication advantages with respect to conventional dielectric lenses. Based on this PPW lens, an H-plane antenna has been designed and simulated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A complete set of entire-domain basis functions are introduced for the analysis of scattering from bodies with curved surfaces; they are defined via the application of a generalization of the Shannon sampling theorem. These basis functions are defined for curved patches with arbitrary contours, via a three-step procedure. First, the curved patch is mapped, via Transformation Optics, onto a flat parametric domain surrounded by a virtual anisotropic inhomogeneous space. Next, linear-phase functions are defined on the parametric flat domain; the sufficient and non-redundant number of functions is found by using a spectral domain “completeness relationship” of the delta function. Finally, the back-transformation from flat anisotropic to curved isotropic space yields the basis functions for the curved patch. The number of basis functions so obtained matches the degrees of freedom of the field known in the literature. Numerical results show the effectiveness of the representation for both fields and currents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A method is presented for computing aperture radiated fields by means of new conical beams with azimuth phase variation. These beams are generated in a natural way starting from the spectral-domain radiation integral, by expanding the electric field spectrum in the aperture plane in a Fourier series, and by approximating the obtained Fourier series coefficients by a sum of complex exponentials using the generalized pencil-of-function method. This transforms the radiation integral to a simpler form which can be evaluated analytically. Two types of wave objects are derived, both of them arising from the same spectral GPOF process, that possess different properties. Aperture fields obtained via the new approach are successfully compared to those calculated via direct near field integration or asymptotic evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entire-domain basis functions are introduced for the analysis of scattering from bodies with flat portions, and of radiation from planar apertures; they are defined via the application of the sampling theorem of Shannon. These basis functions are particularly convenient for polygonal contours; however, arbitrary contours can be treated in the same framework with a very minor pre-processing time. A non-redundant set of basis functions is determined a priori by explicit approximate formulas either for currents and for radiated field. Numerical results are presented to shown the accuracy of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication, we present a theoretical analysis, design, and fabrication of a limited-diffractive planar Bessel beam launcher, that exhibits a zeroth-order Bessel profile in the transverse electric field component with respect to the z-propagation axis. The launcher is designed by synthesizing a finite zeroth-order, first kind Hankel aperture distribution, polarized along a fixed polarization unit vector. The field radiated by such an aperture distribution is derived by following an approximate model based on the geometric theory of diffraction, thus allowing to highlight the relevant wave constituents involved in transverse Bessel beam generation, also including the effect of aperture truncation on the radiated beam. Moreover, the theoretical analysis has been profitably applied to the design of a circular-polarized planar transverse Bessel beam launcher by means of a slotted radial waveguide. A prototype of right-handed circular polarized (RHCP) transverse Bessel beam launcher has then been fabricated at ƒ = 30 GHz. The measured transverse electric field component shows a satisfactory agreement with full-wave numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation of several beams with strict radiation requirements in the field of a radiating aperture is demonstrated here. An optimization scheme is adopted to derive the aperture-field distribution generating the required near-field radiation. The optimization tool is based on a set-theoretic approach and takes into account field constraints on the radiation profile and polarization. The challenging case of generating four independent beams in the near field of a radiating aperture and with different polarizations is then considered. A tensorial metasurface is adopted to synthesize the derived aperture field profile to fully control the amplitude and phase distribution of the radiating aperture. Measurement results at 20 GHz validate the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a flat, high gain, wide scanning, broadband continuous transverse stub (CTS) array. The design procedure, the fabrication, and an exhaustive antenna characterization are described in details. The array comprises 16 radiating slots and is fed by a corporate-feed network in hollow parallel plate waveguide (PPW) technology. A pillbox-based linear source illuminates the corporate network and allows for beam steering. The antenna is designed by using an ad hoc mode matching code recently developed for CTS arrays, providing design guidelines. The assembly technique ensures the electrical contact among the various stages of the network without using any electromagnetic choke and any bonding process. The main beam of the antenna is mechanically steered over $\pm 40^\circ$ in elevation, by moving a compact horn within the focal plane of the pillbox feeding system. Excellent performances are achieved. The features of the beam are stable within the design 27.5–31 GHz band and beyond, in the entire Ka-band (26.5–40 GHz). An antenna gain of about 29 dBi is measured at broadside at 29.25 GHz and scan losses lower than 2 dB are reported at $\pm 40^\circ$. The antenna efficiency exceeds 80% in the whole scan range. The very good agreement between measurements and simulations validates the design procedure. The proposed design is suitable for Satcom Ka-band terminals in moving platforms, e.g., trains and planes, and also for mobile ground stations, as a multibeam sectorial antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper introduces a rigorous and effective modeling framework for the continuous transverse stub (CTS) array, based on a spectral Green’s function approach. A multimodal expansion of the equivalent currents over the slots is used to derive an accurate expression for the active impedance of an infinite array. This formula is validated through comparisons with full-wave simulations when the array scans are in principal planes. The mathematical formulation highlights the broadband properties of CTS arrays and accurately predicts the impact of the geometrical parameters on the active impedance, as a function of frequency and scan angle. The discussion of the results provides physical insights to outline effective design strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we prove experimentally that nondiffractive Bessel beams can be generated by using inward cylindrical traveling wave aperture distributions. An azimuthally invariant inward traveling wave distribution is defined over the aperture of a radial line slot array (RLSA) to launch a Bessel beam whose normal electric-field component assumes a truncated, zeroth-order Bessel function. An optimization procedure based on a holographic approach is used for tuning the position and size of the slots of the RLSA. The antenna is centrally fed by a coaxial probe transition. The final structure operates at 12.5 GHz. Full-wave simulations and measurements of the vertical component of the electric field show that a non-diffractive radiation is obtained within a range larger than 12 wavelengths in front of the antenna. The generated Bessel beam presents a stable half-power beamwidth of about 20 mm within this range. The proposed system may open new opportunities for planar, low-profile Bessel beam generators at millimeter waves, Terahertz, and optics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Different kinds of spiral planar circularly polarized (CP) antennas are presented. These antennas are based on an interaction between a cylindrical surface-wave excited by an omnidirectional probe and a inhomogeneous surface impedance with a spiral pattern. The surface impedance interaction transforms a bounded TM0 surface wave into a circularly polarized leaky wave with almost broadside radiation. The problem is studied by adiabatically matching the local 2D solution of a modulated surface-impedance problem to the actual surface. Analytical expressions are derived for the far-field radiation pattern; on this basis, universal design curves for antenna gain are given and a design procedure is outlined. Two types of practical solutions are presented, which are relevant to different implementations of the impedance modulation: i) a grounded dielectric slab with a spiral-sinusoidal thickness and ii) a texture of dense printed patches with sizes variable with a spiral-sinusoidal function. Full wave results are compared successfully with the analytical approximations. Both the layouts represent good solutions for millimeter wave CP antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose the implementation of a triangular mesh along with Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis functions to improve the performance and flexibility of a mixed mode-matching (MM)/method-of-moments (MoM) algorithm dedicated to substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) antennas analysis and optimization. These basis functions represent equivalent magnetic currents on either coupling or radiating apertures. In the initial implementation, the entire domain sine basis function was presented, providing fast and accurate simulations for electrically thin rectangular slots. In order to treat wider slots and other geometries, we add here RWG functions, present the theoretical framework of this approach, and highlight its potential through concrete examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication, it is shown that a nondiffracting vortex beam (i.e., a higher order Bessel beam with azimuthal phase variation) can be generated in the near field by synthesizing an inward cylindrical traveling-wave distribution over a finite aperture antenna. A radial line slot array (RLSA) is then designed to prove the concept. The collimated vortex beam is excited in the proximity of the RLSA, within a region properly defined by the nondiffracting range of the generated beam. The radial dependence of the longitudinal electric field of the vortex-beam magnitude follows a first-order Bessel function, and its phase presents a linear azimuthal variation. Full-wave results validate the generation of the nondiffractive higher order Bessel beam within the radiative near field of the launcher. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A method is presented, for the efficient derivation of the dispersion equation associated with electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structures composed by loss-less frequency selective surfaces (FSS) printed on stratified dielectric media. The method, valid for the range of frequency where a single propagating Floquet mode occurs, is based on Foster's reactance theorem applied to an equivalent transmission line network. This theorem implies that the admittance functions of frequency which represent the FSS satisfy the pole-zero analytical properties of the driving point LC admittance functions. By these basic properties and by the full-wave identification of the FSS resonances, an analytical form of the dispersion equation is obtained. This equation is next solved for both surface wave and leaky wave modes by a conventional numerical technique. The results are successfully compared with those from a full-wave analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]