Dual-polarization TCDA-IB with substrate loading

Abstract

Recent efforts on tightly-coupled dipole arrays (TCDA) have yielded conformal, low profile designs that demonstrate remarkable bandwidths. In [1], a TCDA with integrated balun (TCDA-IB) and substrate loading was presented. In the current paper, we extend this work to a dual-polarization TCDA that scans up to 45°. It exhibits an infinite array bandwidth of 13.5:1 (290MHz-3.9GHz) with an active VSWR<;3 and total efficiency (including reflection) >60% in all planes. The validity of the design is verified fabricating and testing an 8x8 prototype with a measured bandwidth of 11:1.