Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Qi Wu
• Scarborough, C. P.
• Martin, B. G.
• Shaw, R. K.
• Werner, D. H.
• Lier, E.
• Wang, X.

Titel

A Ku-Band Dual Polarization Hybrid-Mode Horn Antenna Enabled by Printed-Circuit-Board Metasurfaces

Ist Teil von

• IEEE transactions on antennas and propagation, 2013-03, Vol.61 (3), p.1089-1098

Ort / Verlag

New York, NY: IEEE

Erscheinungsjahr

2013

Quelle

IEEE/IET Electronic Library (IEL)

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Metamaterials with properly engineered surface properties have been recently proposed for application in the design of broadband hybrid-mode horn antennas, such as soft and hard horns. In this paper, we present the design, fabrication, and measured results of a square dual-polarization horn antenna with thin metasurfaces lining the four walls, demonstrating broadband, negligible-loss hybrid-mode operation. By employing a powerful genetic-algorithm (GA) design optimization technique, we have dispersion-engineered low-index metaliners whose surface impedances satisfy the balanced hybrid condition across the K u -band. The optimized metaliners were synthesized based on conventional printed-circuit board technology, leading to a lightweight and low-cost construction. To improve the cross-polarization response, a simple dielectric plug was placed in the throat of the horn to perform effective mode conversion. Measurements showed that the fabricated horn antenna prototype provided low sidelobes, low cross-polarization levels, and radiation patterns that are approximately independent of polarization. Excellent agreement was found between measured and simulated results across the entire band of operation. Both the far-field radiation patterns and the aperture field distributions confirm the hybrid-mode operation of the horn, validating the balanced metasurface design. This metamaterial-enabled antenna represents a low-cost alternative to other types of soft feed horns, such as corrugated horns.