Diagnostic of phased arrays with faulty elements using the mutual coupling method

Abstract

The ability to calibrate phased array antennas by utilising the mutual coupling method (MCM), which takes advantage of the mutual coupling effect between adjacent elements, is addressed. The basic assumption of the method is that the mutual coupling between adjacent elements is equal for all elements in the array and its major deficiency is its failure in the case of faulty elements. A parametric study to identify the effect of faulty elements in the array has been conducted. It has been shown that displacement of one element in the array may cause a significant error in the calibration, which affects its radiation characteristics (increase in the far side lobe level). The main contribution is the presentation of the effect of faulty elements in the calibration process and the proposal of a way to detect and bypass the faulty elements in a phased array calibrated by the MCM.