Compact directive antennas using frequency-selective surfaces (FSS)

This paper presents a theoretical, numerical and experimental study for the design of three-dimensional directive antennas for microwave telecommunications (KU-band: 12-18 GHz) applications. These antennas are resonant cavities surrounded by a metallic ground plane and a metallic grid, which acts as a frequency-selective surface (FSS). These structures are much more compact than classical solutions and use a single feeding device. The development of a numerical 3D code computing the diffraction by periodic metallic gratings allows to model and to optimize this kind of antennas. Numerical results are confirmed by experiments in an anechoic chamber.