Electromagnetic Simulation and Alignment of Dual-Polarized Array Antennas in Multi-Mission Phased Array Radars

Abstract

Electromagnetic (EM) simulation of dual-polarized antennas is necessary for precise initial alignments, calibration and performance predictions of multi-function phased array radar systems. To achieve the required flexibility and scalability, a novel Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) solution is developed for rectangular, cylindrical and non-orthogonal coordinate systems to simulate various types of array antenna manifolds. Scalable array pattern predictions and beam generations are obtained by combining the FDTD simulation solutions with the Near-Field (NF) chamber measurements. The effectiveness and accuracy of this approach are validated by comparing different simulations and comparing simulations with measurements.

Keywords

• Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method
• phased array antenna (PAA)
• Multi-functional Phased Array Radar (MPAR)
• Near-Field antenna measurements