Open AccessBroadband monopulse microstrip antenna array for X‐band monopulse tracking
Author(s) -
Kumar Hemant,
Kumar Girish
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
iet microwaves, antennas and propagation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.555
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1751-8733
pISSN - 1751-8725
DOI - 10.1049/iet-map.2018.5332
Subject(s) - monopulse radar , beamwidth , optics , microstrip antenna , antenna array , radiation pattern , physics , antenna (radio) , acoustics , telecommunications , engineering , radar , radar imaging , continuous wave radar
In this study, a broadband planar multilayer monopulse antenna at the X‐band for monopulse tracking applications is presented. A monopulse comparator has been designed using four hybrid ratrace for feeding the radiating elements of the antenna. Each radiating part of the monopulse antenna consists of 4 × 4 electromagnetically coupled microstrip antenna array. To achieve circular geometry as well as better side‐lobe level (SLL), a hybrid feeding technique is used in radiating antenna array by adding a few elements in series at the end elements of the parasitic layer of a 4 × 4 corporate fed array. The prototype has been fabricated, tested and measured results are compared with simulated results. The simulated impedance bandwidth for | S 11 | ≤ −10 dB is 21% (8.6–10.6 GHz). A measured peak sum beam gain of 24.4 dBi has been obtained. Measured SLL of <−15 dB has been achieved in both elevation and azimuth planes along with a null depth of <−35 dB for difference patterns in both the planes. The radiation pattern is symmetrical in both the planes with half‐power beamwidth nearly equal to 9.0°.