Compact Substrate Integrated Waveguide Quasi-Endfire Antenna for CubeSat Integration
article
A planar quasi-endfire surface-wave antenna (SWA) using substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology for integration with CubeSats and other small satellites is proposed in this letter. This antenna can be attached to the body of the satellite, resulting in a compact and low-cost design. A quasi-endfire beam pattern is achieved by the radiation of the fundamental TM0 surface wave mode at the edge of a grounded dielectric slab (GDS). This mode is excited by a leaky SIW T-junction creating a uniform wavefront that propagates through a truncated parallel-plate waveguide (PPW). A matching section based on an array of subwavelength patches is also added at the interface between the PPW and the GDS for reduced reflections and improved antenna radiation performance. The measured prototype demonstrated realized gain values of 13.3 dBi at 18.6 GHz for a competitive structure size of 5 λ0 × 4.8 λ0 and with a simulated total radiation efficiency of 93.4%, providing high data rate capabilities for downlink communications. This antenna could be suitable for CubeSat or other small satellite commercial missions, for example, Earth and planetary observations or intersatellite links
Topics
CubeSatsendfireleaky waves (LW)substrate integrated waveguide (SIW)surface waves (SW)surface-wave antenna (SWA)Antenna arraysDirectional patterns (antenna)Microwave antennasSatellite antennasSatellite linksSlot antennasSmall satellitesSurface wavesTraveling wave antennasDownlink communicationsInter-satellite linkParallel plate waveguideRadiation efficiencyRadiation performanceSubstrate integrated waveguide technologiesSurface wave modesSurface-wave antennasSubstrate integrated waveguides
TNO Identifier
967704
ISSN
15361225
Source
IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 20(11), pp. 2120-2124.
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages
2120-2124
Files
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