THE LIMITATION OF MUTUAL IMPEDANCE PRECISION TO THE SIDELOBE LEVEL OF ARRAY ANTENNA

Accurate mutual coupling correction is necessary for an array antenna to reach ultra-low sidelobe level.If the mutual impedance or mutual coupling coefficient matrix of an array isperfectly known,theoretically,one can compensate the effects of mutual coupling completelyand realize the desired low sidelobe level.However,the mutual impedance matrix obtainedwhether by calculation or by measurement has limited precision,which limits the effectiveness ofcompensation.This paper deals with the requirements on the precision of mutual impedance forcompensation in ultra-low sidelobe array antennas.The relationship between mutual impedanceerrors and the amplitude and phase errors of an array is derived,by which the relationship betweenthe mutual impedance errors and the sidelobe level is obtained.