Focused Microstrip Array Antenna Using a Dolph-Chebyshev Near-Field Design

A new concept in designing large array antennas to focus the microwave power in the radiation near-field region is presented. A small focused array antenna using microstrip patch elements to achieve the desired sidelobes levels in the Fresnel region based on Dolph-Chebyshev design is implemented. This array is built to verify the concept, and then the measured and computed near fields are compared to verify the accuracy of the design. Larger arrays are designed by using the knowledge of the mutual admittances between the elements of smaller arrays. Several computed examples are presented in order to show some properties of focusing arrays. It is shown that the maximum intensity of the electric field along the axial direction is displaced from the focal point towards the antenna aperture. This displacement decreases as the aperture size increases.