Non-uniformly spaced planarphased array antenna for Ku-band mobile direct broadcasting satellite reception systems

SATCOM on the move with electrical beam scanning capabilities has found great interest recently due to its low profile and low maintenance cost for both civilian and military applications. Uniformly distributed array elements have been widely used for phased array antennas. However, a growing number of research on non-uniform distributed array has been published. In contrast to uniformly distributed elements, non-uniformly distributed phased arrays provide the designer with a degree of freedom of additional element spacing through their wide-angle scanning property that mitigates mutual coupling between antenna elements and allows placement of microwave circuits beneath the antenna elements. This paper presents the design of a non-uniformly spaced dual-linearly polarized phased array antenna with a wide-angle scanning feature for Ku-band mobile direct broadcasting satellite reception systems. The proposed array is formed using 64 multilayer microstrip antenna elements. This array structure could be a promising candidate for future low-cost microwave and millimeter-wave applications in the mobile satellite communications systems not only for military use but also for civilian applications.