Antenna Scanning Arrays
Robert J. Mailloux · Encyclopedia of RF and Microwave Engineering · 2005
Abstract Electronic scanning arrays provide high‐gain radiated beams that can be directed to chosen spatial angles by the use of phase shifters or time‐delay units. This feature satisfies an increasing number of applications, from the military need for large arrays for ground‐based, airborne, and space‐based radars and communication systems, to the growing needs of the wireless community for much smaller, often adaptively controlled arrays. This article describes the fundamental properties and limitations of array antennas, including the parameters that constrain their gain, beamwidth, and bandwidth, and the phenomena of grating lobes. Several examples of pattern synthesis and adaptive control algorithms are presented. Last, there is a description of array architectures as appropriate to the three basic means of control, using analog, optical, and digital means of beamforming.