Design of a scalable phased array antenna with a simplified architecture

Abstract

A simplified architecture for a scalable phased array is proposed. In this design, a new technique for steering the array's beam has been devised. The proposed technique integrates the phase shift function into array's feed network and significantly reduces the required number of phase shifters in phased array. Phase shifters are responsible for a great portion of the complexity, size, and cost of phased arrays. Therefore, reducing their number allows for less complexity and cost. As a proof of concept, a Ku-band eight element phased array based on the proposed method is presented. This array has 33 degrees of scan range and is composed of variable gain amplifiers, power combiners/dividers, and two phase shifters.