Hexagonal ridged waveguide phased array antenna element for LEO Ka-band satellite downlink
article
The design of a hexagonal six-ridged waveguide (H6RWG) phased array antenna (PAA) element featuring a wide scan angle matched slotted horn aperture is presented for Ka-band satellite downlink in low Earth orbit non-terrestrial network applications. The proposed PAA element is evaluated against an open-ended waveguide (OEWG) PAA element and achieves a very low active reflection coefficient (ARC) of less than -18 dB and a total antenna efficiency greater than 84% over a wide bandwidth from 17.3 to 20.2 GHz with a ± 50∘ scan range. Specifically, the aperture of the H6RWG was designed to limit the variations in ARC during scanning, thereby minimizing load pulling of integrated active devices, as demonstrated with a power amplifier (PA) in a co-simulation. As a result, the power-added efficiency, output power, and linearity of the PA remained stable over the bandwidth and scan range. Compared to the OEWG PAA, the co-polarized system efficiency and equivalent isotropic radiated power are improved for most scan angles within the bandwidth, especially at high scan angles.
Topics
Ka-bandLoad pulllow Earth orbit (LEO)Phased array antennasPower amplifiersRidged waveguidesSatellite communicationsSlotted hornBandwidthCommunication satellitesEfficiencyLight amplifiersMicrowave antennasOrbitsSatellite antennasSatellite communication systemsScanning antennasAntenna elementEarth orbitsLow earth orbitPowerAntenna phased arrays
TNO Identifier
1024144
ISSN
17590787
Source
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies, pp. 1-13.
Pages
1-13