Active Ka-Band Radiator

In this paper, we show the latest development for an active transmit radiator array in Ka-band, consisting of a modular passive frontend and an active part using solid state power amplifiers (SSPAs) with amplitude and phase control. To facilitate the integration of future very large array antennas, the passive frontend has been manufactured using a novel hybrid manufacturing process called metal powder application (MPA). To explore the electromagnetic performance of the active Ka-band radiator and the new manufacturing technology, a demonstrator model with nine radiator elements was built. The most important antenna key performance parameters such as return loss, port-to-port isolation and radiation behavior were measured.