An UWB Low-Profile Hemispherical BAVA Array for Wide Angle Scanning (Preprint)
Abstract
We report the first low-profile ultra-wide band (UWB) array on a doubly curved surface that supports wide angle electronic scanning. The array elements are based on the balanced antipodal Vivaldi antenna (BAVA). The antennas are optimized for a good impedance match in an infinite planar array environment and are then deformed to fit along the surface of a hemisphere. The array is comprised of 104 linearly polarized BAVA elements arranged along a quadrilateral mesh on the surface of a 100 millimeters diameter hemisphere. The antennas and SMP connectors are 3D printed out of titanium. The array has grating lobe free operation at frequencies less than 8 gigahertz. The array can also maintain relatively low sidelobe levels above 8 gigahertz compared to planar arrays because the aperiodicity of the hemispherical element locations reduces the magnitude of grating lobes. The simulated and measured realized gain is within 1 decibel of the theoretical limit from 2-18 gigahertz and scan angles with theta is less than or equal to 90 deg except near 14 gigahertz where a surface wave resonance reduces the gain by 3 decibel for some scan angles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1164184
Entities
People
- Carl Pfeiffer
- Jeffrey Massman
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory