A Fully Polarized 1-D Beam-Scanning Phased Array Based on Active Integrated Linear Array

Abstract

This article introduces an active integrated fully polarized architecture of 1-D beam-scanning planar phased array based on linear arrays. The 1-D scanning capability of this architecture is realized based on compact linear arrays rather than individual units, which utilizes fewer active channels, leading to a substantial decrease in power consumption, heat dissipation requirements, and overall system cost, particularly for large-scale phased-array implementations. The fully polarized waves are generated by the superposition of two orthogonal linearly polarized waves. With the amplitude and phase of the two orthogonally polarized ports precisely controlled by active chips, the fully polarized beam-scanning capability is achieved. The theoretical formulation of full-polarization beam-scanning synthesis of this architecture is derived. Then, a $16\times 24$ -scale active phased array constructed from 16 linear subarrays is designed, fabricated, and measured to validate the effectiveness of the architecture. The operating bandwidth of the antenna covers 10.7–12.75 GHz. The prototype demonstrates a scanning range of ±45° across six typical polarization states, including linear x-polarization, linear y-polarization, linear ±45° polarizations, and both left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) and right-hand circular polarization (RHCP). Moreover, employing the proposed architecture, the power of each unit in this $16\times 24$ phased array is only 0.006 W and the ratio of array unit numbers to active channel numbers is 12. Combining the full-polarization scanning capability with the high gain, ultralow power consumption and cost-effective attribute, the proposed active phased array positions it as a promising alternative for advanced satellite communication applications.