MICROSTRIP ANTENNAS AND ARRAYS .2. NEW ARRAY-DESIGN TECHNIQUE

Open-circuit terminations on half-wavelength stubs form the radiating elements in a new design technique for linear microstrip microwave arrays. Measured results, on computer-designed resonant and wideband travelling-wave arrays with broadside beams, demonstrate the technique; the effects of corporate feeds and radomes are also considered. The computer design of medium gain arrays with H-plane sidelobe levels below about minus 21 dB, demands characterization of the microstrip T-junction with an accuracy that is currently unavailable, and the dimensional precision has to be obtained by experimental means. It is concluded, to date, that the known extraneous sources of radiation do not inhibit the control of H-plane sidelobes to a level of at least minus 25 dB and the new design technique makes microstrip arrays highly competitive with their conventional waveguide counterparts.