Title :
Microfluidic enabled beam scanning focal plane arrays
Author :
Gheethan, Ahmad ; Guldiken, Rasim ; Mumcu, Gokhan
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Univ. of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
Abstract :
A novel microfluidic enabled focal plane array (FPA) technology is introduced for the low-cost realization of high-gain beam-scanning Ka-band antennas. The proposed FPA is formed by interconnected microfluidic reservoirs and channels that are placed at the back surface of an extended hemispherical dielectric lens. Scanning is performed by moving the liquid metal antenna through the channels by utilizing a low loss dielectric solution and pumps. Therefore, the RF switching needs of the FPAs can be significantly reduced. This principle is demonstrated through an 8×1 30 GHz FPA capable of providing 70 half power beamwidth over a beam scanning range of ±300 without employing any RF switches.
Keywords :
focal planes; lens antennas; microfluidics; microwave antenna arrays; microwave switches; scanning antennas; FPA technology; RF switches; hemispherical dielectric lens; high-gain beam-scanning Ka-band antenna; interconnected microfluidic reservoir; liquid metal antenna; low loss dielectric solution; microfluidic enabled beam scanning focal plane arrays; pumps; Feeds; Liquids; Metals; Microfluidics; Patch antennas; Radio frequency; Reservoirs;
Conference_Titel :
Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium (APSURSI), 2013 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Orlando, FL
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-5315-1
DOI :
10.1109/APS.2013.6710765
