A Crossed Dipole Phased Array Antenna Architecture With Enhanced Polarization and Isolation Characteristics

A dual-polarized planar phased array antenna with enhanced polarization and isolation characteristics for multifunction applications is presented. A bent crossed dipole is selected as the element of the array antenna. The bend angle is optimized to widen the E-plane active element pattern of the dipole resulting in a pair of matched co-polar patterns. Contrary to common patch array antennas, this design does not require a continuous grounded substrate. This diminishes the surface wave propagation along the ground plane. Efficient techniques, applied to the element design, isolate the two polarizations from each other. Higher than 40 dB port isolation is achieved within the entire frequency range of 2.7-3.0 GHz in principal plane scanning. In order to preserve the symmetry of the array antenna, a mirrored arrangement in both orthogonal directions is applied to the array configuration. This enhances the co- to cross-polarization levels to better than 45 dB in scanning up to +/- 45 degrees in the principal planes. The proposed phased array antenna with enhanced polarization purity can potentially improve polarimetric performance.