Cylindrical Radome in X Band using a Controllable Electromagnetic Band Gap Material

We present a conformable and controllable radome based on an electromagnetic band gap (EBG) material in X band (center frequency 10 GHz). This structure is composed of metallic parallel wires conformed on a cylindrical structure. This cylindrical EBG structure can achieve the commutation of an antenna´s transmitting signal. The radome we present in this paper is in a passive mode. The goal is to obtain an active one incorporating active devices periodically like PIN diodes or photoconductors in order to allow electrical or optical commutation of the EBG structure between two states, allowed or blocked. Different passive prototypes composed of either continuous or discontinuous wires are designed, fabricated and characterised. This paper presents the calculated and measured results of the transmission of the radome and the radiation pattern of the antenna associated with the radome.