A Planar 4-Bit Reconfigurable Antenna Array Based on the Design Philosophy of Information Metasurfaces

Zheng Xing Wang; Hanqing Yang; Ruiwen Shao; Jun Wei Wu; Guobiao Liu; Feng Zhai; Qiang Cheng; Tie Jun Cui

doi:10.1016/j.eng.2022.03.019

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Engineering ›› 2022, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (10) : 64-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2022.03.019

Research

Article

A Planar 4-Bit Reconfigurable Antenna Array Based on the Design Philosophy of Information Metasurfaces

Zheng Xing Wang^a^,^b ,
Hanqing Yang^a^,^b ,
Ruiwen Shao^a^,^b ,
Jun Wei Wu^a^,^b ,
Guobiao Liu^a^,^b ,
Feng Zhai^a^,^b ,
Qiang Cheng^a^,^b ,
Tie Jun Cui^a^,^b

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Abstract

Inspired by the design philosophy of information metasurfaces based on the digital coding concept, a planar 4-bit reconfigurable antenna array with low profile of 0.15 λ₀ (where λ₀ is the wavelength) is presented. The array is based on a digital coding radiation element consisting of a 1-bit magnetoelectric (ME) dipole and a miniaturized reflection-type phase shifter (RTPS). The proposed 1-bit ME dipole can provide two digital states of “0” and “1” (with 0° and 180° phase responses) over a wide frequency band by individually exciting its two symmetrical feeding ports. The designed RTPS is able to realize a relative phase shift of 173°. By digitally quantizing its phase in the range of 157.5°, additional eight digital states at intervals of 22.5° are obtained. To achieve low sidelobe levels, a 1:16 power divider based on the Taylor line source method is employed to feed the array. A prototype of the proposed 4-bit antenna array has been fabricated and tested, and the experimental results are in good agreement with the simulations. Scanning beams within a ±45° range were measured with a maximum realized gain of 13.4 dBi at 12 GHz. The sidelobe and cross-polarization levels are below –14.3 and –23 dB, respectively. Furthermore, the beam pointing error is within 0.8°, and the 3-dB gain bandwidth of the broadside beam is 25%. Due to its outstanding performance, the array holds potential for significant applications in radar and wireless communication systems.

Keywords

4-Bit reconfigurable antenna array / Information metasurface / Digital coding method / Low sidelobe / Low profile

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Zheng Xing Wang, Hanqing Yang, Ruiwen Shao, Jun Wei Wu, Guobiao Liu, Feng Zhai, Qiang Cheng, Tie Jun Cui. A Planar 4-Bit Reconfigurable Antenna Array Based on the Design Philosophy of Information Metasurfaces. Engineering, 2022, 17(10): 64‒74 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2022.03.019

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