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Development of efficient and directive radial-line slot-array antenna technology for satellite communication
The upcoming intelligent communication systems have witnessed a fast-growing interest in satellite communication to provide high-speed internet connectivity to mobile platforms. Highly directional and efficient antennas are incredibly desirable to compete with the commercial market, maintaining planar, compact and low-profile features. Conventional parabolic reflectors, phased and microstrip array antennas provide high gain (more than 30 dBi) and broad coverage, but their huge volume (area > 400𝜆2o), non-planar structure and complex feed mark them undesirable for modern communication systems. Radial-line slot-arrays (RLSA) antennas are directive, planar and low-profile antennas. However, they also suffer from narrow bandwidth, high cost and low efficiency. This dissertation introduces novel RLSA design methodologies to reduce fabrication costs and enhance gain, bandwidth and radiation pattern quality. One single-layer RLSA antenna, made with only two metal plates, demonstrated a realized gain of 30.5 dB, an impedance bandwidth of 50% and a radiation efficiency of 94.3% at 12 GHz. Another all-metal double-layer RLSA antenna provided a side lobe level of less than -22 dB with a realized gain of 31.9 dB and a total efficiency of 89.7%. This dissertation also introduced a novel design method to increase the gain and aperture efficiency of more than 14% of beam-tilted RLSA antennas compared to the conventional ones.
