A Simple Low-Cost Shared-Aperture Dual-Band Dual-Polarized High-Gain Antenna for Synthetic Aperture Radars

Abstract

This paper presents a novel shared-aperture dual-band dual-polarized (DBDP) high-gain antenna for potential applications in synthetic aperture radars (SARs). To reduce the complexity of SAR antennae, a DBDP high-gain antenna based on the concept of Fabry-Perot resonant cavity is designed. This antenna operates in both Cand X-bands with a frequency ratio of 1:1.8. To form two separate resonant cavities, two frequency selective surface layers are employed, leading to high flexibility in choosing desired frequencies for each band. The beam-scanning capability of this proposed antenna is also investigated, where a beam-scanning angle range of ±15° is achieved in two orthogonal polarizations. To verify this design concept, three passive antenna prototypes were designed, fabricated, and measured. One prototype has broadside radiation patterns, while the other two prototypes have frozen beam scanned to +15°. The measured results agree well with the simulated ones, showing that the high gain, high port isolation, and low cross-polarization levels are obtained in both the bands. Compared with the conventional high-gain DBDP SAR antennae, the proposed antenna has achieved a significant reduction in the complexity, mass, size, loss, and cost of the feed network.