Investigation on the potential application of conductor-grounded lossy dielectric periodic structures as the cover of stealth

Dielectric periodic structures have long been investigated due to their unique characteristics for many applications in microwave, millimeter-wave and optical-wave engineering. Lossy dielectric periodic structures as absorbers have also been studied for application in anechoic chambers. The oblique scattering of conductor-grounded lossy dielectric periodic structures with arbitrary groove profiles are investigated using a simple but accurate method which combines the multimode network theory with the rigorous mode matching method. The dependence of the absorption characteristics of the structures on incident wave parameters, such as frequency and aspect angle, and on structure parameters, such as the groove profile and the thickness of the uniform layer, are systematically analyzed. The potential application of the lossy dielectric periodic structure as the cover for stealth equipment is quantitatively discussed. A novel stealth mechanism which combines together both material and shape stealth are thus suggested.