Ka-band phased patch array antenna integrated with a PET-controlled phase shifter

In this article, a 4 × 4 linear-phased patch array antenna, consisting of four 1 × 4 patch subarrays and a true time-delay multiline phase shifter, is proposed on a thin film liquid crystal polymer substrate at Ka-band. The patch antenna is designed with a gain of 6 dBi at 35 GHz and a bandwidth of 23% centered at 35 GHz. To enhance the gain and symmetrize the beam patterns of the 4 × 4 array, a 1 × 4 patch subarray in the E-plane was designed and characterized. The subarray produces an enhanced gain of 11 dBi and a wide beamwidth of ±38° in the H-plane for beam steering. The proposed phase shifter comprises a 1 × 4 microstrip line power splitter and a piezoelectric transducer-controlled phase perturber. A large phase variation of up to 370° and a low insertion loss of less than 2 dB were demonstrated for the phase shifter at Ka-band. The integrated phased array attains a gain of 15.6 dBi, and a continuous true-time delay beam steering of up to 33 ± 1° from 31 to 39 GHz. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2015.