Development of substrate-free frequency-scaled ultra-wide spectrum element (FUSE) phased array

Abstract

A novel, substrate-free, Frequency-scaled Ultra-wide Spectrum Element (FUSE) antenna has been designed and built. Measured results from a 17×16 prototype demonstrate experimental validation for a scalable, low-profile, and dual-polarized phased array that has 7:1 bandwidth ratio, scanning 45 degrees in elevation at all azimuth with a VSWR lower than 2, and has better than -17 dB cross-polarization levels in all planes.