Novel design method for frequency agile beam scanning antenna arrays

In order to aid in the design of frequency agile antennas used for beam scanning purposes a design method based on dispersion-like frequency diagrams is proposed in this paper. This method results from a reinterpretation of the workings of both slotted waveguide antennas and leaky wave antennas. In this way it is shown that antennas based on periodic structures can be described in a general manner by expressing the phase difference between antenna elements in terms of a frequency dependent and a frequency independent component which may have a different periodicity as that of typical beam scanning antennas. In consequence, based on this methodology it is possible to predict the behavior of beam scanning antenna arrays based on any type of radiating elements, by independently adjusting the periodicity of the radiating elements and the phase delay between them.