Technical advice and feasibility analysis for the design of active array and phased array antennas in Ka band for on-board SATCOM mobile systems

 

Actions and goals of the Project:

- Review of State of art for current design of Ka band active antennas

- Development of multi-layer radiating element that provides circular polarization in Ka band

- Implementation and integration at design level of Liquid Crystal (LC) technology as phased-shifter of the radiating element.

- Preliminary definition of control circuit schematic in order to change dielectric constant of LC

- Definition of mechanical tolerances for the manufacturing as proof of the concept

 

Outcomes of the project:

- Development of a cutting-edge radiating element with LC that provides robustness and an excelent axial ratio (< 0.5 dB for beam scanning angles) for circular polarization

- Achievement of an absolute phase range of  41 ° in TX and 7 ° in  RX  modifying dielectric constant of LC

- Study of manufacturing critical tolerances and of specifications repeatability for used components

 

This study was carried out by Dr. Miguel A. Salas-Natera and Prof. Mariano Barba, both of them of Technical University of Madrid and  by Borja Rocha Peñalosa from SERTEC.

 

Participants: UPM - ETSIT