Broadband Low‐RCS Linearly Polarized Metasurface–Based Antenna

In this paper, a broadband linearly polarized (LP) metasurface (MS)–based antenna with low radar cross section (RCS) over a wideband is proposed. The radiation and scattering mechanisms of the antenna are analyzed under the guidance of characteristic mode analysis (CMA). Since all unit cells serve as both the fundamental cells of low‐RCS MS and as integral components of antenna radiation structures, the aperture efficiency of the antenna is greater than 60% within the operation band, reaching a maximum of 125%. The simulation results show that the antenna has a −10 dB impedance bandwidth from 4.5 GHz to 6.5 GHz with a peak gain of 8.6 dBi at 6 GHz. The RCS of the proposed antenna is significantly reduced over 10 dB from 11.6 GHz to 20.1 GHz compared to the reference antenna. The antenna is fabricated and measured, with the measurement results aligning consistently with the simulation results.