Beam Scanning by the Quasi-Optical Antenna Mixer Array

The quasi-optical antenna mixer system transforms radio frequency (RF) signal into intermediate frequency (IF) signal just after the system receives the RF and local oscillator´s (LO) signal spatially [1]. We present a novel beam scanning system with the quasi-optical antenna-mixer array. In this paper, we describe the principle and the experimental results in the microwave band. The arrival direction of the RF signal can be controlled by the system without RF circuits such as phase shifters. Therefore, not only losses in RF circuits are reduced but also the system is easily designed because of its simple structure. This feature is an advantage in applying to the millimeter wave band.