Impact of Statistical Errors on Active Phased-Array Antenna Performance

Synthesis and analysis of active phased-array antennas typically assume ideal or error-free distributions of the phase and amplitude excitation coefficients. This is a necessary assumption for first-order design; however, realistic performance must be accounted for in the final implementation of the system. One must never assume that an error-free antenna pattern is realistic or achievable, particularly if expectations of large side lobe rejections are to be met. This paper presents and compares statistical sampling and linear analytical methods for analysis of phased-array antennas and the implications the errors have on different performance requirements. Applications include beam shaping, communication satellites, phased-array antennas, remote-sensing phased arrays, and Earth station phased-array antennas.