Electronic Modulated Beam-Steerable Silicon Waveguide Array Antenna

The design and experimental findings for a low-cost easily fabricated millimeter-wave line scanner is described. This antenna consists of a 1-mm x 1-mm silicon dielectric rod with a metal grating (periodic structure) on the upper surface and p-i-n diodes mounted on the sidewall. A narrow 8° beam is radiated from the grated (perturbed) surface at an angle dependent on the guide and perturbation spacing. The beam angle is switched over a 10° angle by application of a dc forward current through the p-i-n diode modulators.