Antenna array switching system for indirect near-field microwave holographic imaging

Microwave holography has found applications in diverse fields such as security and biomedical imaging, presenting significant potential for future advancements in microwave measurement techniques. Despite these promising applications, there is a critical need to refine the hardware setup, emphasizing the miniaturization of experimental configurations while ensuring accuracy and efficiency. This paper introduces a novel 16-channel antenna array switching system exclusively designed for microwave holographic imaging. The proposed system comprises a 1 x 16 switching circuit array and a holographic circuit board. These components are meticulously designed, fabricated, and validated to meet stringent circuit requirements at an operating frequency of 10 GHz. The optimized elements are integrated to form a cohesive setup for holographic imaging, capable of capturing images along one axis (1 x 16) in a single acquisition. However, the setup is combined with a motorized translation stage for scanning along the orthogonal axisto extend imaging capabilities to a 2-Dimensional (2D) space of 16 x 16 elements. Additionally, the designed system is rigorously validated for applications in metallic and dielectric imaging. The obtained imaging results affirm the viability and effectiveness of the proposed setup for near-field microwave holography.