A Broadband and Wide-Scanning Dual-Polarized Dipole Array with Low Profile

This study presents a novel methodology for designing a planar broadband wide-scanning dual-polarized array using tightly-coupled dipoles and wide-angle impedance matching. By etching the S-shaped gaps between the dipoles and incorporating shorting vias with defected ground structures, we demonstrated that all radiation elements can be arranged on a single-layer substrate. Additionally, we introduced a thin printed circuit board (PCB) layer with two-dimensional periodic structures for impedance matching at wide scan angles. Leveraging high permittivity and constrained electromagnetic waves, we realized zero-scan blindness within this band. The aperture consisted of only two PCB layers, with a total profile of approximately 0.091λlow, where λlow represented the free-space wavelength at 6 GHz. A 3 × 4 dual-polarized array was fabricated and measured to validate the proposed approach. The measured active voltage standing wave ratio for one embedded array element surpassed 2.2 over 6–18 GHz. By enabling the orthogonal dipoles at the edge of the array to be mutually coupled using an additional metal patch, the active S11 for the edge cells exceeded −8.8 dB over 6.9–18 GHz. The measured patterns were in good agreement with simulations over 6–18 GHz, with the array exhibiting good radiation performance over ±60° in the E- and H-planes.