Fast Analysis and Bandwidth Enhancement of the Radiating Subarray by Method of Moments for a Parallel-Plate Slot Array Antenna With Perpendicular-Corporate Feed

Fast analysis and wideband design using method of moments are proposed for a radiating subarray in a parallel-plate slot array antenna with perpendicular-corporate feed in this paper. Applying the method of moments and a genetic algorithm to the subarray design enables fast electromagnetic analysis and easy optimization for wideband performance. A comparison with the HFSS simulation proves the superior efficiency of designing by the proposed approach. The simulated bandwidth of reflection below -14 dB for the subarray gets up to 13.1% by a two-layer geometry in this paper, much improved from the 7.7% by a three-layer structure or the 11.4% by a four-layer structure using the conventional design method based on the HFSS simulation. The fabricated 16×16-slot array shows a measured bandwidth of 13.2% (58.7 – 67.0 GHz) with a reflection below -10 dB and a high antenna efficiency greater than 70% over a bandwidth of 11.2% (59.7 GHz – 66.8 GHz). At the design frequency of 61.5 GHz, a high measured gain of 32.9 dBi with antenna efficiency of 81.8% is demonstrated.