A microstrip leaky-wave antenna with two symmetrical beams towards sides for fixed-frequency dual-beam scanning

This paper presents a technique to produce two symmetrical side beams from a simple microstrip leaky-wave antenna (MLWA) and to steer them. Two beams are generated by using two vertical conducting walls along the microstrip line, each located one-third the width away from each edge. The directions of the main beams are controlled by changing the reactance profile between the free edges of the microstrip line and the ground. This is achieved by placing periodic patches very close to the edges of the microstrip line and controlling their connections to the ground. The full-wave numerical simulations demonstrate the ability to control the directions of both beams simultaneously at 7.75 GHz. © 2014 IEEE