Dual-Polarized Conformal Transparent Antenna Array With Hemispherical Beam Coverage

A novel dual-polarized conformal transparent antenna array with hemispherical beam coverage is proposed in this letter. The antenna array is composed of two orthogonal subarrays, each of which consists of four symmetrically arranged dipole elements. The dipole made of transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) is fed by a slotline through a balun from a coaxial line, and the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films with a thickness of 0.05 mm and the ITO-coated glass hemisphere act as the substrates and reflectors, so that the antenna unit is optically transparent, which makes the integration of optical and electronic apertures on one compact platform feasible. The influence of the surface resistance of the ITO on array results has been extensively explored. Finally, an array prototype is fabricated and measured for verification purposes.