Réseaux à fentes connectées compacts et à large balayage pour les applications en bandes Ku/K/Ka

Emerging applications such as satellite communications on the move are boosting research on wide-angle scanning phased arrays operating over multiple bands with a single radiating aperture, up to millimeter wave (mm-wave) frequencies. The realization of cost-effective and robust designs, suitable for low-loss integration with integrated circuits (ICs), is a key objective to enable their massive deployment. In the last decade, several ultra-wideband architectures have been proposed and demonstrated, mainly in the microwave spectrum. These arrays leverage on the high mutual coupling among their elements to attain uniform current distributions and comprise wide-angle impedance matching (WAIM) layers to enhance their field view. This thesis presents a compact and cost-effective design of connected-slots arrays operating in Ku-, K- and Ka-band and scanning up to ±60°. A two-section hybrid superstrate directly loading the radiating aperture is proposed to achieve wide-angle impedance matching and enhanced cross-polarization discrimination. The first section is an artificial dielectric comprising three stacked subwavelength patch layers, two of which connected by vias, while the second one is an isotropic dielectric slab. This design comprises a reduced number of layers with respect to the state of the art. Moreover, it does not require special manufacturing steps, e.g. foam spacers or substrate drilling. The small array pitch and the possibility to fabricate the proposed design in a robust, multilayer PCB is attractive for future integration with ICs. 8x8 arrays are fabricated and measured.