Mm- and sub-mm wave hologram based compact antenna test ranges used for electrical antenna testing

The hologram based compact antenna test range is a viable option for testing millimetre and sub-millimetre wave antennas. The relatively low manufacturing costs of the holograms allow test-specific CATRs that can be constructed to the location of the antenna-under-test eliminating the need to transport the satellite to the test site. The hologram based CATR has been used to test the ODIN satellite telescope at 119 GHz and the ADMIRALS RTO antenna at 322 GHz. In this paper, the constructed hologram based CATRs and the antenna test results at 119 GHz and 322 GHz are described. The effect of the quiet-zone field quality on the ADMIRALS RTO results is discussed. Furthermore, the feasibility of the hologram CATRs for shorter sub-millimetre wavelengths is investigated with a demonstration CATR at 644 GHz, and the on-going and future research is also discussed