A novel Ultra-wideband all-metal Vivaldi Antenna Phased Array Feeds Research on FAST Telescope

An ultra-wideband 7 * 8 Vivaldi antenna array design is simulated and optimized, and a 1 * 7 experimental prototype unit is produced in this paper. In the design process, all-metal Vivaldi antenna structure has been adopted, the feeding part is fed by a coaxial probe, and the radiation part is improved by an exponential gradient opening to improve the working bandwidth. Compared to traditional patch Vivaldi antennas, the all-metal antenna body increases the physical structural strength of the antenna to adapt to changes in temperature, wind, and other factors in the environment. The final implementation of the antenna prototype has a working bandwidth of triple frequency in the 1 - 3 GHz frequency bands, and the telescope efficiency in the 1 - 2.4 GHz frequency band exceeds 70%. The simulation and measurement of the E-plane feed array pattern are consistent. The performance of the antenna confirms that it is a potential candidate as a feed option for FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope) Phased Array Feeds (PAF).