Development of a smart-skin phased array system with a honeycomb sandwich microstrip antenna

Abstract

We develop a smart-skin phased array antenna (PAA) with a scanning beam and cover the design, fabrication and testing of the smart-skin antenna structure, the phase shifter and electronic beam scanning. The smart skin is an organic honeycomb sandwich structure in which microstrip antennas are embedded that radiate a radio-frequency (RF) signal. The structure has excellent structural performance as a result of sandwich effects by facesheets and a honeycomb core. For ease of array feeding, the antenna element is excited by means of a coaxial probe. A stacked patch is used in order to increase the bandwidth. Electronic beam scanning is accomplished with a 4-bit digital phase shifter. The PAA design is processed at a center frequency of 7.5 GHz, a bandwidth exceeding 500 MHz, linear polarization and a scanning range of +/- 45 degrees. Performance is confirmed from experimental measurements made on a fabricated test model.