EFFECTS OF MEASUREMENT ERRORS ON MICROWAVE ANTENNA HOLOGRAPHY

The application of microwave holographic metrology has received much attention in recent years. The technique has been successfully used in improving the performance of many types of reflector and array antennas throughout the world. In order to properly assess the ultimate achievable holographic performance improvements, attention must be focused on detailed system error evaluation. In this paper, the effects of measurement errors appearing during the implementation of the microwave holographic technique are investigated and many representative results are presented based on computer simulations. The numerical results are tailored for cases applicable to the utilization of the holographic technique for the NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas, although the methodology of analysis is applicable to any antenna. Many important system measurement topics are presented and summarized.