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In this article, H-plane cross-polarization (X-pol) radiation of probe-fed air-filled patch antennas is substantially suppressed by introducing two or more floating metal cylinders underneath the patch, respectively. The X-pol is canceled by the radiation of induced currents on metal cylinders. The working principle of the new X-pol suppressed patch (XSP) antenna is revealed by an approximate model. The X-pol level of a typical XSP antenna can be suppressed to lower than −49 and −37 dB theoretically and experimentally for $| \theta |\le 60^{\circ }$. Two $1\times $ 8-element arrays constructed by XSP antennas and conventional patch antennas are prototyped and measured at scanning beam angles of $\theta = 0^{\circ }$ , −40°, and −65°. The measured co-polarization (co-pol) gain of the XSP antenna array is 0.7 and 0.9 dB larger than that of the conventional patch array at $\theta = -40^{\circ }$ and −65°, respectively. Besides, the beam scanning angle with −30 dB X-pol level of the XSP antenna array can be as wide as $| \theta |\le 40^{\circ }$ , while that of the conventional patch array is about $| \theta |\le 12^{\circ }$. A wide-band dual-polarized XSP antenna is also presented. The measured maximum H-plane X-pol level can be lower than −29 dB within 8.7% fractional bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes and presents a fully planar endfire circularly polarized (CP) antenna with mingled three-layer substrates. It consists of a unidirectional dielectric radiator (UDR) and an antipodal linearly tapered slot antenna (ALTSA) surrounded by a UDR. The ALTSA is fed by a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) on a thin substrate of $0.05\lambda _{0}$ , which can easily be integrated with RF subsystems. The UDR is fed by the ALTSA, which enables the UDR to enhance the original vertically polarized radiation rather than the horizontally polarized radiation from the ALTSA. Due to the polarization selectivity enhancement, an endfire CP antenna with a very thin substrate is created. An experimental prototype of the proposed antenna has been studied, designed, and measured. The measured impedance bandwidth of −10 dB covers a broadband of 29.7 GHz from 26.1 to 55.8 GHz, and the 3 dB AR bandwidth is 19.7 GHz ranging from 25.3 to 45 GHz. The measured gain is over 9 dBic from 27.8 GHz to over 32 GHz. A good performance with a small size of only $2.57\lambda _{0} \times 0.78\lambda _{0} \times 0.33\lambda _{0}$ , including the CPW-SIW transition, makes it an attractive option in the development of high gain planar endfire CP antennas and arrays for 5G and B5G applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scalable planar 2-D active array antenna configuration that can realize amplified radiation through co-existing active devices is proposed, studied, and demonstrated in this work. The input and output of these amplifying active devices are directly integrated with the feed network and array elements, respectively, thereby eliminating the matching networks typically required in an amplifier circuit. A comprehensive analysis of the rectangular patch antenna (RPA) performance with different feeding techniques is initially analyzed and the choice of nonradiating edge feed RPA as array elements is justified for not only realizing the maximum radiation efficiency but also facilitating the direct active device integration. Subsequently, a physical arrangement of these array elements is devised to reduce cross-polarization. The design of $4\times {2}$ active array antenna unit cell operating at 5.8 GHz is then discussed through extensive analysis of active devices, optimization procedure, potential excitation signal control, and influence of faulty transistors. From simulations, this active array scheme has realized a higher matching bandwidth and exhibited an amplifier gain of around 13.6 dB, compared with its passive counterpart. Eventually, these unit cells are integrated through an equal power hybrid feed network for realizing an $8\times {8}$ active array antenna configuration that is fabricated and measured. The measured results of the experimental prototype match reasonably well with the simulation results, thereby confirming the proposed integration technique. The resulting paralleled configuration promises efficient handling of greater powers, making them suitable for high-power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present a comprehensive analysis of port impedance effects on a signal coupled across two-port networks, derive an equation to evaluate the impedances for a specified coupling, and demonstrate two beam-shaping active array antenna prototypes to validate the theory. In this context, the generalized S-parameters are theoretically studied and verified through an example. Subsequently, a closed-form equation is derived to accurately evaluate the port impedances that enable the achievement of a desired magnitude and phase of the signal coupling across the two-port network. The meaningfulness of all the potential results and the additional capabilities of derived equations are then discussed. With this understanding, a general modeling procedure is formulated to achieve the simultaneous amplification and phase shifting only through the active devices, without resorting to any additional passive circuitry. As a proof of concept, two 1 × 5 active array antenna prototypes are developed and fabricated at 5 GHz: one for broadside radiation with a sidelobe level of less than −20 dB requirement, and the other for flat-top radiation beam between −10° and 30°. They are integrated with a 1 × 5 Wilkinson power divider that is designed for radiation pattern measurements, and the corresponding results agree reasonably well with the simulated counterparts and theory, thereby proving the developed concept. Such solutions demonstrate the inherent advantages of being low-loss, compact, and efficient, which are essential for the next generation of wireless systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an LC low-pass $\pi $ network to decouple a pair of coupled antennas working at low frequencies. Comparing with existing decoupling techniques, the proposed decoupling network provides a wideband but compact decoupling solution. Moreover, a generalized one-fit-all scheme is justified to implement the decoupling network with an antenna independent core network. By adjusting a few external components, the same core network can be applied to a collection of antenna pairs with different coupling levels and antenna form factors. Four design examples are given to demonstrate the unique features of the proposed network for low-frequency applications. In all cases, the decoupling network significantly improves the isolation between two antennas over a wide frequency band while the intrinsic matching bandwidth of the antennas is maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The gain bandwidth constraint of sequential-rotation arrays (SRAs) has been an open issue since it was first pointed out in 1989. This paper reveals the reason, provides some useful conclusions and proposes an optimum design. Firstly, a first-order analytical formula is derived for the array factor (AF) of the 4-element sub-SRA. The formula embraces the polarization properties of the antenna elements. The AF is found to be dependent on the elements' polarization properties and frequency, which is not found in conventional regular arrays. Based on the theoretical results and full-wave simulations, these dependencies are analyzed in detail. Secondly, an optimum design is proposed to enhance the gain bandwidth: to constitute SRA with elliptically polarized elements (this type of SRA is denoted as EP-SRA) rather than the conventional circularly polarized elements (this type of SRA is denoted as CP-SRA). Detailed design guidance is presented for this new method. Finally, as an example, a CP-SRA and an EP-SRA are designed and tested for comparison. According to the example, by employing EP-SRA, the 1 dB AF bandwidth is improved by 80%, the measured 1 dB/3 dB gain bandwidth is enhanced by 114%/76%. In fact, the conventional CP-SRA and LP-SRA (SRA with linearly polarized elements) are two special cases of the proposed EP-SRA. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]