Optically-Controlled Unit-Cell for Transmitarrays at X-band

International audienceAn optically-controlled unit-cell with 1-bit phase quantization is proposed at X-band for integration in transmitarrays. It consists of two U-slot and O-slot patch antennas connected by a metallized via. Their transmission phase is controlled by illuminating at 1.55μm two Germanium semiconductors located on the top of the O-slot. A prototype has been manufactured and characterized experimentally in a waveguide simulator. The unit-cell insertion loss is measured to be 4 dB at the center frequency. A 180°±10° phase difference between both phase states in the 8.7-10.5 GHz band and a 3-dB fractional transmission bandwidth of 5.1% are achieved. © 2019 European Microwave Association (EuMA)