Reduction of sidelobe structure in phased arrays

A simple technique for reducing the sidelobe structure in the radiation pattern of phased arrays is presented. This technique uses an auxiliary antenna consisting of two or four elements in conjunction with the main array. The two elements produce a cosine pattern of constant amplitude. The four elements can produce a sine pattern with varying amplitude, depending upon the size of the auxiliary antenna. Adding or subtracting the pattern of the auxiliary antenna to the pattern of the main array results in a new pattern with reduced sidelobes. The results of computer simulations showed good improvements in the sidelobe structure.