Determining an appropriate number of bits for a digitally controlled reflectarray cell with MEMS switches

The trade-off between the reduction in directivity and the number of bits of a digitally controlled reflectarray cell was considered for the case of broadside plane wave illumination. The study was performed with a number of simplifying assumptions to allow for fast analysis and insight into general trends. A 3-bit design was determined to be a good compromise between beam pointing accuracy and cell biasing layout simplicity. This information lays the groundwork for the physical design of the cell.