Reconfigurable Phased Array Antenna Enabling a High Gain Wide Angle Beam Scanning

A 2x2 phased array antenna consisting of pattern reconfigurable Square Loop Antennas (SLAs) is presented for high gain wide angle scanning. The single element SLA works in two modes. The first is the tilted beam mode in which it can generate four tilted beams in four quadrants and the second mode is the axial radiation mode. In this paper, it is demonstrated that by combing these two modes, a 2x2 array of SLA is capable of providing high-gain wide-angle beam scanning. It is expected that in comparison with the conventional 2x2 patch array antenna the SLA array can offer a 75% wider scanning angle with gain up to 6 dB higher in the off bore sight direction. This property could be of a huge significance for scanning the wide sky for airborne and marine applications.