Leaky Wave Generation Through a Phased-Patch Array

For this article, we approximated the field of a leaky-wave antenna (LWA) with the field produced by a uniform linear array (ULA). This article aims to provide an initial framework for applications where the generation of an inhomogeneous wave is wished, but, at the same time, a flexibility is required that is difficult to meet with the conventional LWA design. In particular, two different configurations were considered, one with a simple Menzel antenna operating at 12 GHz, and one, relevant for practical applications, with an antenna operating at 2.4 GHz. This study aimed, in both cases, to highlight the distance at which the field produced by the phased array with the chosen sampling method can approximate effectively the one produced by a leaky-wave antenna and to verify whether this could cause issues for the targeted application.