Dual-Polarized 2–6 GHz Antenna Array With Inverted BoR Elements and Integrated PCB Feed

Abstract

This article presents a wideband, dual-polarized antenna array with inverted BoR elements. The antenna structure is based on the conventional body-of-revolution (BoR) element, but the structure is inverted; i.e., instead of metallic cones, the elements are metalized cavities inside a dielectric block. This structure allows a more lightweight and low-cost design since all-metal parts are not needed. In addition to the inverted BoR structure, this paper proposes a feeding system that is fully integrated into a 5-mm-thick standard printed circuit board. The designed antenna operates at 2–6 GHz, providing 3:1 impedance bandwidth with an active reflection coefficient (ARC) < −10 dB. The ARC<−10 dB criterion is fulfilled for all beam-steering angles up to ±50° in all planes. The operation of the simulated antenna array was verified by measuring a built prototype. The measurement results are in good agreement with the simulations. However, the radiation efficiency of the prototype was approximately 11% inferior than that of the conventional all-metal BoR array due to conduction losses caused by the metalization of the used dielectric.

Keywords

• Antenna array
• BoR
• flared-notch antenna
• phased array
• tapered slot
• Vivaldi antenna