An Efficient Beam Pointing Correction Method for Uniform Planar Phased Arrays With Anisotropic Elements

Whether in analog or digital phased arrays, the predominant factor contributing to beam pointing deviation, particularly in extensive angle scanning scenarios, is the anisotropy of antenna elements. This paper presents an efficient beam pointing correction method for uniform planar phased arrays with anisotropic elements. Based on the gradient analysis of the radiation pattern, this method establish a transcendental equation which buildup the relation between the desired beam pointing and the real beam pointing. Newton’s iteration algorithm is utilized to solve the problem, and two iterative initial values are thoroughly discussed and integrated within this algorithm for fast convergence. Additionally, the paper verifies the presented method with both simulation and measurement of an 8×8 phased array. Simulations validate applicability at center and edge frequencies, yielding beam pointing errors below 0.7°. At the center frequency, arrays from 4×4 to 16×16 exhibit pointing errors below 0.75°. Compared with the conventional EEP method, the proposed approach provides superior pointing correction. Experiments confirm that for scan angles above 30° the pointing error is reduced by over 60% despite other error sources.