Mechanically Reconfigurable, Beam-Scanning Reflectarray and Transmitarray Antennas: A Review

Abstract

We review mechanically reconfigurable reflectarray (RA) and transmitarray (TA) antennas. We categorize the proposed approaches into three major groups followed by a hybrid category that is made up of a combination of the three major approaches. We discuss the examples in each category and compare their performance metrics including aperture efficiency, gain, bandwidth and scanning range and resolution. We also identify opportunities to build upon or extend these demonstrated approaches to realize further advances in antenna performance.

Keywords

• reconfigurable antennas
• reflectarray antennas
• transmitarray antennas
• mechanically beam-scanning
• scanning range