A Novel Amplitude-Only Measurement Method to Determine Element Fields in Phased Arrays

A novel amplitude-only measurement method is proposed for phased array calibrations. The proposed method can determine a complex element field at every phase shift of a digital phase shifter in phased arrays. The method can be realized using higher order Fourier coefficients of one array-power response measured with the conventional rotating element electric field vector (REV) method. Simulations and experiments were carried out, including transmission errors from the phase shifters, which validated the proposed method. More accurate calibration and beam forming can be achieved by using the precise element fields at all phase shifts determined by the proposed method.