A 60 GHz beam-steering reconfigurable antenna

Abstract

We present the design, microfabrication, and characterization of a multifunctional reconfigurable antenna (MRA) with beam steering capability operating at 60 GHz band (59-66 GHz). The MRA provides 3 different beam directions pertaining to: θ {-30°,0°,30°}; φ = 90° based on reconfigurable parasitic layer approach. The structure consists of three layers namely, feed, driven antenna and reconfigurable parasitic layers. The first two layers use RF and microfabrication process compatible quartz (ϵr = 3.9, tanδ = 0.0002) substrate while parasitic layer is formed on a low-cost pyrex (ϵr = 4.9, tanδ = 0.01) material with air cavities formed underneath. The upper surface of pyrex has 3×3 rectangular shaped metallic pixels, four of which are interconnected by means of switching. By judiciously controlling the switch status the beam-steering is accomplished. The simulated impedance and gain characteristics show ∼ 15% bandwidth over which the maximum realized gain remains relatively flat around ∼ 7.2 dB for all modes of operation. © 2016 IEEE.