Beam scan using the quasi-optical antenna mixer array

Abstract

The quasi-optical antenna mixer system transforms an RF signal into an intermediate frequency signal just after it spatially receives the RF signal and the local oscillator's (LO) signal. In this paper, we present a novel beam scanning system using the quasi-optical antenna mixer array and describe its principle of operation and the experimental results in the microwave band. The arrival direction of RF signals can be controlled by adjusting the LO incident angle and/or the LO frequency without implementing RF circuits such as phase shifters. Therefore, the novel beam-scanning system has no loss due to RF circuits and can be easily designed because of its simple composition.