Abstract: A steerable beam antenna includes a plurality of semiconductor chips arranged along a longitudinal axis. Each of the chips has a ground plane on its upper surface, and is doped to form an array of semiconductor switches arranged along the longitudinal axis. A corresponding array of scattering elements, each having a first leg and a second leg, is mounted on each chip along the longitudinal axis. A first electrode of each switch is configured for connection to a control circuit, a second electrode is connected to the ground plane, and a third electrode is connected to the first leg of one of the array of scattering elements, the second leg of which is connected to the ground plane. A dielectric element is mounted on the antenna chips along the longitudinal axis above the arrays of switches and scattering elements and is separated from the scattering elements by an air gap.

Abstract: A steerable beam antenna includes a plurality of semiconductor chips arranged along a longitudinal axis. Each of the chips has a ground plane on its upper surface, and is doped to form an array of semiconductor switches arranged along the longitudinal axis. A corresponding array of scattering elements, each having a first leg and a second leg, is mounted on each chip along the longitudinal axis. A first electrode of each switch is configured for connection to a control circuit, a second electrode is connected to the ground plane, and a third electrode is connected to the first leg of one of the array of scattering elements, the second leg of which is connected to the ground plane. A dielectric element is mounted on the antenna chips along the longitudinal axis above the arrays of switches and scattering elements and is separated from the scattering elements by an air gap.

Abstract: A steerable beam antenna includes a feed line and first and second arrays of switchable scatterers along opposite sides of the feed line. The first array scatters an electromagnetic wave propagating through the feed line to form a first beam portion with a first polarization, and the second array scatters the propagating wave to form a second beam portion with a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. Each scatterer in the first and second arrays is switchable between a high state and a low state, the high state scatterers and the low-state scatterers in each of the first and second arrays defining a periodic pattern. The scatterers in the first and second arrays are switchable to shift the pattern of scatterers in one of the arrays relative to the pattern in the other array by a selectable period shift that yields a desired polarization for the beam.

Abstract: A scanning antenna system includes a feed line having first and second ends, and a scanning antenna element disposed with respect to the feed line so that, in the transmit mode, a signal input to one of the first and second ends of the feed line is evanescently coupled to the antenna element, whereby the antenna element radiates the signal as a shaped beam through an angular scanning field having a negative angular scanning space and a positive angular scanning space on either side of the stop band near 0°. A switching network, operatively coupled to the feed line, switches the signal input between the first and second ends of the feed line in a controlled sequence, whereby the shaped beam radiated by the antenna element is scanned in the negative scanning space, the stop band, and the positive scanning space. The antenna system performs reciprocally in the receive mode.

Abstract: A steerable beam antenna includes a feed line and first and second arrays of switchable scatterers along opposite sides of the feed line. The first array scatters an electromagnetic wave propagating through the feed line to form a first beam portion with a first polarization, and the second array scatters the propagating wave to form a second beam portion with a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. Each scatterer in the first and second arrays is switchable between a high state and a low state, the high state scatterers and the low-state scatterers in each of the first and second arrays defining a periodic pattern. The scatterers in the first and second arrays are switchable to shift the pattern of scatterers in one of the arrays relative to the pattern in the other array by a selectable period shift that yields a desired polarization for the beam.

Abstract: A scanning antenna system includes a feed line having first and second ends, and a scanning antenna element disposed with respect to the feed line so that, in the transmit mode, a signal input to one of the first and second ends of the feed line is evanescently coupled to the antenna element, whereby the antenna element radiates the signal as a shaped beam through an angular scanning field having a negative angular scanning space and a positive angular scanning space on either side of the stop band near 0°. A switching network, operatively coupled to the feed line, switches the signal input between the first and second ends of the feed line in a controlled sequence, whereby the shaped beam radiated by the antenna element is scanned in the negative scanning space, the stop band, and the positive scanning space. The antenna system performs reciprocally in the receive mode.

Abstract: A steerable beam antenna includes a rotatable drum having a diffraction grating surface, and a waveguide feed including first and second conductive metal bases extending axially along the length of the drum, each of the bases having an inner surface spaced from and opposed to the inner surface of the other base, and a proximal surface spaced from the drum surface by a gap. First and second parallel conductive metal plates extend distally from the first and second bases, respectively, the first and second plates having respective inner surfaces separated by an inter-plate space. First and second dielectric strips are flush-mounted on the inner surfaces of the first and second conductive metal bases, respectively, the first dielectric strip extending longitudinally along the inner surface of the first base, and the second dielectric strip extending longitudinally along the inner surface of the second base, opposite the first dielectric strip.

Abstract: A steerable beam antenna includes a rotatable drum having a diffraction grating surface, and a waveguide feed including first and second conductive metal bases extending axially along the length of the drum, each of the bases having an inner surface spaced from and opposed to the inner surface of the other base, and a proximal surface spaced from the drum surface by a gap. First and second parallel conductive metal plates extend distally from the first and second bases, respectively, the first and second plates having respective inner surfaces separated by an inter-plate space. First and second dielectric strips are flush-mounted on the inner surfaces of the first and second conductive metal bases, respectively, the first dielectric strip extending longitudinally along the inner surface of the first base, and the second dielectric strip extending longitudinally along the inner surface of the second base, opposite the first dielectric strip.

Abstract: An electronically-controlled steerable beam antenna with suppressed parasitic scattering includes a feed line defining an axis x; and first and second arrays of electronically-controlled switchable scatters distributed along the axis x, each of the scatterers in the first and second arrays being switchable between a high state and a low state to scatter an electromagnetic wave propagating through the transmission line so as to form a steerable antenna beam. Each of the scatters of the second array is configured to be 180°-phase-shifted relative to a corresponding scatter of the first array. The switchable scatterers of the first and second arrays are configured into high states and low states relative to each other so as to suppress parasitic scattering of the electromagnetic wave without suppressing the steerable antenna beam.

Abstract: An electronically-controlled steerable beam antenna with suppressed parasitic scattering includes a feed line defining an axis x; and first and second arrays of electronically-controlled switchable scatters distributed along the axis x, each of the scatterers in the first and second arrays being switchable between a high state and a low state to scatter an electromagnetic wave propagating through the transmission line so as to form a steerable antenna beam. Each of the scatters of the second array is configured to be 180°-phase-shifted relative to a corresponding scatter of the first array. The switchable scatterers of the first and second arrays are configured into high states and low states relative to each other so as to suppress parasitic scattering of the electromagnetic wave without suppressing the steerable antenna beam.

Abstract: A beam-forming antenna for transmission and/or reception of an electromagnetic signal having a given wavelength in a surrounding medium includes a transmission line electromagnetically coupled to an array of individually controllable antenna elements, each of which is oscillated by the signal with a controllable amplitude. The oscillation amplitude of each of the individual antenna elements is controlled by a switch. The antenna elements are arranged in various shapes such as a parabolic arc, a circular arc, a cylindrical surface or a conic surface. The antenna elements have various spacing such as uniform, parabolic, circular, or raised cosine.

Abstract: A beam-forming antenna for transmission and/or reception of an electromagnetic signal having a given wavelength in a surrounding medium includes a transmission line electromagnetically coupled to an array of individually controllable antenna elements, each of which is oscillated by the signal with a controllable amplitude. The oscillation amplitude of each of the individual antenna elements is controlled by a switch. The antenna elements are arranged in various shapes such as a parabolic arc, a circular arc, a cylindrical surface or a conic surface. The antenna elements have various spacing such as uniform, parabolic, circular, or raised cosine.

Abstract: A beam-forming antenna for transmission and/or reception of an electromagnetic signal having a given wavelength in a surrounding medium includes a transmission line electromagnetically coupled to an array of individually controllable antenna elements, each of which is oscillated by the signal with a controllable amplitude. The oscillation amplitude of each of the individual antenna elements is controlled by a switch. The antenna elements are arranged in various shapes such as a parabolic arc, a circular arc, a cylindrical surface or a conic surface. The antenna elements have various spacing such as uniform, parabolic, circular, or raised cosine.

Abstract: A beam-forming antenna for transmission and/or reception of an electromagnetic signal having a given wavelength in a surrounding medium includes a transmission line electromagnetically coupled to an array of individually controllable antenna elements, each of which is oscillated by the signal with a controllable amplitude. The oscillation amplitude of each of the individual antenna elements is controlled by a switch. The antenna elements are arranged in various shapes such as a parabolic arc, a circular arc, a cylindrical surface or a conic surface. The antenna elements have various spacing such as uniform, parabolic, circular, or raised cosine.

Abstract: A beam-forming antenna for transmission and/or reception of an electromagnetic signal having a given wavelength in a surrounding medium includes a transmission line electromagnetically coupled to an array of individually controllable antenna elements, each of which is oscillated by the signal with a controllable amplitude. The antenna elements are arranged in a linear array and are spaced from each other by a distance that does not exceed one-third the signal's wavelength in the surrounding medium. The oscillation amplitude of each of the individual antenna elements is controlled by an amplitude controlling device, such as a switch, a gain-controlled amplifier, or a gain-controlled attenuator. The amplitude controlling devices, in turn, are controlled by a computer that receives as its input the desired beamshape, and that is programmed to operate the amplitude controlling devices in accordance with a set of stored amplitude values derived empirically for a set of desired beamshapes.

Abstract: A beam-forming antenna for transmission and/or reception of an electromagnetic signal having a given wavelength in a surrounding medium includes a transmission line electromagnetically coupled to an array of individually controllable antenna elements, each of which is oscillated by the signal with a controllable amplitude. The antenna elements are arranged in a linear array and are spaced from each other by a distance that does not exceed one-third the signal's wavelength in the surrounding medium. The oscillation amplitude of each of the individual antenna elements is controlled by an amplitude controlling devices such as a switch, a gain-controlled amplifier, or a gain-controlled attenuator. The amplitude controlling devices, in turn, are controlled by a computer that receives as its input the desired beamshape, and that is programmed to operate the amplitude controlling devices in accordance with a set of stored amplitude values derived empirically for a set of desired beamshapes.

Abstract: A beam-forming antenna for transmission and/or reception of an electromagnetic signal having a given wavelength in a surrounding medium includes a transmission line electromagnetically coupled to an array of individually controllable antenna elements, each of which is oscillated by the signal with a controllable amplitude. The antenna elements are arranged in a linear array and are spaced from each other by a distance that does not exceed one-third the signal's wavelength in the surrounding medium. The oscillation amplitude of each of the individual antenna elements is controlled by an amplitude controlling device, such as a switch, a gain-controlled amplifier, or a gain-controlled attenuator. The amplitude controlling devices, in turn, are controlled by a computer that receives as its input the desired beamshape, and that is programmed to operate the amplitude controlling devices in accordance with a set of stored amplitude values derived empirically for a set of desired beamshapes.

Abstract: An improved millimeter wavelength antenna assembly having an input signal coupler, a dielectric waveguide, and a rotatable drum is disclosed. The input signal coupler reduces VSWR return losses and scattered radiation losses from the drum and matches a feeding waveguides characteristics to the dielectric waveguide. Embodiments of the invention include a reflector and a cylindrical lens to direct and form electromagnetic energy radiated by the antenna assembly.

Abstract: An improved millimeter wavelength antenna assembly having an input signal coupler, a dielectric waveguide, and a rotatable drum is disclosed. The input signal coupler reduces VSWR return losses and scattered radiation losses from the drum and matches a feeding waveguides characteristics to the dielectric waveguide. Embodiments of the invention include a reflector and a cylindrical lens to direct and form electromagnetic energy radiated by the antenna assembly.

Abstract: Systems and methods for scanning antennas with plasma gratings are described. An apparatus includes a semiconductor slab and an electrode set or illuminating system to inject a plasma grating. The systems and methods provide advantages in the compactness and higher efficiency in comparison with existing antennas.