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Abstract— This paper illustrates a full simulation design flow used in tandem to perform the complete analysis: an FEM
for a low profile Ku band satellite communications phased array simulation is used to optimize the antenna at the unit cell level,
for airborne use. A variety of numerical methods are used in a time domain approach is used for the full array analysis,
tandem on a single model within a single simulation environment while an asymptotic shooting bouncing ray (SBR) simulation
to perform the complete design and analysis of the array. An
FEM simulation with a full Floquet port boundary is used to predict the installed performance of the array.
implementation is used to optimize the cell geometry of the array The unit cell design principle also applies to the
unit cell simultaneously for operation at multiple frequencies and optimization of planar periodic structures like polarizers and
multiple scan angles. A time domain approach is used to analyse FSSs to support a range of incident angles. This is an important
the full array including edge effects and curvature of an consideration when an FSS is intended to be a conformal part
enclosure. A hybrid field coupling approach employs an of a curved structure such as a radome.
asymptotic shooting bouncing ray (SBR) simulation to predict
the installed performance of the array on the roof of an aircraft.
The effect of an aerodynamic sandwich radome is considered as II. ANTENNA UNIT CELL DESIGN
part on the radiating structure, both at the unit cell level and the The desired application for the array introduces the
full array level.
requirement for a low-profile broadband antenna that is
Index Terms— EM simulation, antenna, antenna array, capable of beam-steering and polarization tracking in order to
matching, radome, installed performance track satellites and hop between them as the aircraft moves.
The antenna design tool Antenna Magus [2] was used to find
I. INTRODUCTION and perform the initial design of a promising candidate: an
The flexibility and benefits of active electronically scanned elliptical-ring stacked pin-fed linearly polarized patch antenna.
arrays has seen their use as high end antennas in applications This antenna is planar, can be made sufficiently broadband for
like RADAR, surveillance and communication, increase the application of interest, and can be made circular. Placing
dramatically in the last few years, both for terrestrial and two excitation pins separated by 90º allows any linear
airborne use. The electromagnetic design of these devices is polarization to be generated by appropriately phasing the two
challenging and numerical simulation has become an feeds.
indispensable part of the design process. But the demands that The initial design was modified to have two identical
the design places on a simulation tool is very high. This paper substrate layers of low-loss Rogers RT5880 of 0.787 mm
describes new array design functionality in CST STUDIO thickness with a real permittivity of 2.2. An additional feed pin
SUITE® [1] which makes the design of phased arrays, and was added to the first so that arbitrary linear polarization could
related planar devices like polarizers or frequency selective be achieved by correct phasing of the exciting ports. The size
surfaces (FSSs), at both the cell and full array level of the ground and substrate was reduced to be a quarter of a
substantially more efficient and powerful. wavelength at the highest frequency of interest. A ring of vias
This paper explains a full design flow for a Ku band uplink was also added around each unit cell in order to suppress
satellite communications array for airborne use, operating in surface waves which can propagate in planar arrays and cause
the 14-14.5 GHz frequency band. The initial design of the low a deterioration of the radiation properties of the array. All these
profile antenna elements will show one of the key benefits of modifications resulted in the antenna element no longer being
the new functionality: the ability to optimize the unit cell matched adequately in the frequency range of interest, so an
geometry simultaneously for operation at multiple frequencies optimisation of the patch dimensions and feed position was
and multiple scan angles. The positioning of the antenna on the performed to improve S11 to better than -10 dB between 14
roof of an aircraft requires the design of an aerodynamic and 14.5 GHz. The FEM solver in CST MICROWAVE
radome which must be considered as part of the radiating STUDIO® (MWS) was used with a curved tetrahedral mesh
structure, both at the unit cell level and the full array level. In and a full Floquet port boundary condition implementation in
addition, a hybrid field coupling approach is used to order to calculate the response of the antenna element as if it
investigate the effect of positioning the array on the aircraft at were in an infinitely large array of identical elements. The
various locations. The Complete Technology approach in CST evolution of the antenna geometry and reflection coefficient
STUDIO SUITE allows a variety of numerical methods to be are shown in Fig. 1(a) and Fig. 1(b) respectively.
for all scan angles of interest. Similar results are found for all
other frequencies of interest as well.
The isolation between the two exciting ports – also a direct
output of the parameter sweep – is below -10 dB for all scan
angles of interest, as shown in Fig. 3. Another output is
coupling between the exciting port(s) and the outgoing Floquet
port modes, which gives the broadband Active Element Pattern
(AEP) [3] of the antenna element as it is scanned. This is
shown for -50º ≤ θ ≤ 50º and -90º ≤ φ ≤ 90º in Fig. 4. This
figure can be used to predict how closely the drop in gain
corresponds to the theoretical best-case cos(θ) drop when
scanning off boresight. In addition, this figure multiplied by
the array factor is a good prediction of the overall array farfield
for large arrays, i.e. those with many elements.
Fig. 1(a). Evolution of the antenna geometry from initial design (1), to detuned
array element (2), to optimised array element (3).
Fig. 6. The 3D farfield of the array including the effect of the radome shows a
peak gain of 26.5 dBi.
Fig. 5. The Phased Array task uses the unit cell geometry in combination with
the array layout description to construct the full array. The individual array
elements can be specified to be active (red), passive (blue) or empty (grey).
Fig. 8. An equivalent field source representation of the array is recorded after a
time domain simulation, and then placed automatically at the antenna location
for simulation using the asymptotic solver.
Fig. 7. A horizontal cutplane through the farfield at 14.5 GHz shows the effect
of the radome on the radiation characteristics of the array.