A broadband and high‐efficiency folded transmitarray antenna

Abstract A folded transmitarray antenna (FTA) with low profile, high efficiency, and broadband is proposed. The transmission unit‐cell is composed of two metallic layers of bowknot‐shaped patches printed on a single layer of dielectric substrate. By regulating bowknot‐shaped patches' dimension and mirroring elements' top and bottom layers, 360° phase swing and high transmission magnitudes are obtained. With the introduction of a reflectarray integrated with a feed horn in the middle, an FTA is designed based on ray tracing principle, leading to a profile reduced to 1/3 of the focal distance of traditional transmitarrays. According to testing results, 15.5% 1 dB gain bandwidth, 30.9% 3 dB gain bandwidth, and 42.3% peak aperture efficiency are achieved. These outstanding performances demonstrate its good potential for a wide range of high‐gain applications.