Monolithic Dual-Polarized Leaky-Wave Array with Off-Axis Pointing, 36 DBI Gain and Unbalanced Beamforming Networks for Radar Applications

This paper proposes a compact, lightweight radiating panel for polarimetric radar, consisting of 32 dual-mode leaky waveguides fed by orthomode transducers and unbalanced beamforming networks. The array generates a high-gain pencil beam (<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$46 \lambda$</tex> long) with low sidelobes, achieved through equi-phase non-uniform excitation and modulation of the waveguide perforations. The three-layer monolithic panel, 3D printed using selective laser melting, integrates two beamforming networks and the radiating elements. The prototype is well matched for both polarization, it presents high isolation and a high-gain beam with off-axis pointing. This work demonstrates the first monolithic large radiating aperture with such a performance, providing a solution for balancing compactness and complexity in high-gain antenna arrays.