An electronically reconfigurable reflectarray element based on binary phase shifters for K-band applications

A reflectarray concept which allows electronic beam-steering by using a binary phase approximation is presented. The proposed antenna element works at 24 GHz and is comprised of an aperture-coupled patch antenna with an open-ended microstrip line on the backside to obtain the proper phase distribution on the reflectarray aperture. Electronic beam-steering is achieved by applying PIN diodes on the individual reflectarray elements. To simplify the control process of the antenna, the elements function as one-bit phase shifters either reflecting with a 0° or 180° phase shift. The reflectarray element is verified by measurements obtained with a prototype in a waveguide simulator setup.