Slot-loaded patches with a switching mechanism to extend the scanning range of a phased array subject to scan blindness

International audienceThis article presents a novel solution to extend the scanning range of a cavity-backed stacked-patch phased array whose performances are limited by scan blindness. Two main aspects are investigated. The first section is a thorough description of the scan blindness mechanism and the associated mutual coupling scheme occurring in the reported array. The second section introduces a revised array topology that allows extending the scanning range up to the blind angle. The article focuses on the proof of concept of the proposed solution, which is based on the switching between two operating modes of the structure, each one covering a part of a globally wider scanning range. In the present case, the scanning capability of the array has been extended by 10 degrees in the scanning plane of interest. Besides, the restored impedance matching allows for a 2 dBi gain improvement at the scan blindness angle