Centre for Electronic Warfare, Information and Cyber, Cranfield Defence and Security, Cranfield University, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, U.K.
The growing demands of advanced future communication technologies require investigating the possible enhancement in the current features of a reflectarray antenna. Its design and experimental features need a thorough investigation before a plausible transition towards millimeter wave frequencies. This paper provides a detailed review covering various fundamental and advanced design tactics for polarization diversity and beamsteering in the reflectarray antenna. The diversity in the polarization has been discussed for linear and circular polarized designs in reflectarrays. The importance of electronically tunable materials and different lumped components for adaptive beamsteering in reflectarrays has also been highlighted. Each design has been critically analyzed and possibilities of its compatibility with future 5G systems have been provided.
